Asian Addicts Anonymous

So the literary geek in me loves it when international authors are presented with English translations. Why? It really sucks being basically mono-lingual. As in if it’s not in English, then I can’t really understand it. My German and Spanish only allow me to pick out certain words and very simple, beginner phrases, just as good as me being able to pick out a handful of various Asian characters and words.

So, that being said, I am really excited about the new online journal Asymptote which takes literature from all over the world and showcases the original as well as the translation. We all know that translation is never word-for-word and it can be highly challenging in literature when you think about all the various devices used. I have read really great translations and horrible ones. So I am always excited to see more literary-in-translation books and magazines coming out as they seem to be getting only better with time.

Check out this fledgling magazine here: http://asymptotejournal.com/. And enjoy! It has a great layout and design and great literature! They have literature in the original (simplified) Chinese, not to mention various other languages.