Luminita Balan: Literary Translation Bridges Minds

Luminita Balan, Director of the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching (ISCLT), Professor at the University of Bucharest, Romania, is a renowned sinologist and translator who has long been committed to promoting cultural, educational and literary exchanges and cooperation between Romania and China. She has been teaching Chinese for nearly thirty years, with students from all walks of life in Romania; her translations and research span ancient and modern China, from Chinese great philosopher Zhuangzi living in more than two thousand years ago to modern Chinese writer Mo Yan, the Nobel Prize winner in literature today.

Luminita Balan and her China story

In the early 1970s, the Romanian government decided to select a few elementary schools to pilot the teaching of foreign languages, and Luminita Balan's elementary school happened to be the only pilot school for Chinese language. As a result, she was introduced to Chinese at the age of seven.

For seven years, from elementary school to secondary school, Luminita Balan attended Chinese classes once a week. Little did she know the profound impact Chinese would have on her later life, but it is certain that the passion she gained in Chinese classes as a child stayed with her for the rest of her life. She has become a "Chinese girl" in the eyes of her friends and family.

There is everything in the square Chinese characters. During the early years when she learned Chinese, Luminita Balan gradually began to appreciate the charm of the language. "Every book I've ever read, every magazine I've ever flipped through, brings every aspect of China to life. They are all important treasures that I hold dear, leading to paths to an amazing world." She said.  

When she was in college, Luminita Balan was determined that she wanted to study Chinese. "I studied very hard to pass the entrance exam. The day I was told that I was admitted to the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature at the University of Bucharest, where I will study Chinese and English, I couldn't be happier!" She said excitedly.  

During her college years, what interested Luminita Balan most was the translation course, which helped her to acquire expertise in bilingual translation between Romania and Chinese. She also became fascinated with classical Chinese philosophy and furthered her study of writings in classical Chinese.

From literature to culture: bringing more Romanians into the Chinese world through translation

Since she started learning Chinese at the age of seven, Luminita Balan has been exposed to many Chinese literary works, and Journey to the West was her favorite Chinese mythology story as a child. However, it was not until college that Luminita Balan had the opportunity to begin reading a wide range of Chinese literature from all eras. Due to her work, her research focuses on Chinese speech and writing, and she has translated and published the Standardization of Contemporary Chinese and Chinese Characters (1999), Contemporary Chinese Vocabulary (2002), Contemporary Chinese (2002), and Chinese Linguistics (2005). Although she does not specialize in literature, reading literature is one of her most important hobbies.

After graduation, Luminita Balan became a teacher at the University of Bucharest, specializing in teaching Chinese. In addition to teaching, she began trying to translate Chinese classical literary works Zhuangzi with her mentor, Tatiana Segal.

In the process, Luminita Balan was surprised to find that besides Sinologists and Chinese language learners, there were numerous Romanians who showed great interest in Chinese culture and longed to learn more about Chinese literary works.

"Translating Zhuangzi was a long process, and in order to make it easier for readers to understand, we not only translated the original text into Romanian, but also added detailed notes and commentary to the text." Luminita Balan said.

Translating the Chinese classic, Zhuangzi, was a challenging task for Luminita Balan, as a fresh graduate. However, with her tenacity and perseverance, in the following twenty years, she had referred to numerous Chinese and Western notes and commentaries and research results, and finally published the Romanian translation of Zhuangzi in 2009.

During this period, her love for Chinese always gave her inspiration and courage whenever she was faced with confusion and worry.

In 2012, Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for Literature, which attracted the attention of people all over the world. In order to make this Chinese writer and contemporary Chinese literature accessible to more Romanians, Luminita Balan has translated two of Mo Yan's novels, The Garlic Ballads (2014) and The Republic of Wine (2015), which were published locally and warmly welcomed.

"In the process of translation, I always think about the different forms of expression, logical thinking and language habits between Chinese and Romanian, therefore, it is often necessary to add words or phrases to the translation in order to more accurately convey the meaning contained in the original text. I increasingly appreciate that it is necessary to complete a translation project through a thorough reading from the perspective of a Romanian reader, and to make revisions to phrases or expressions that don’t make sense until I am satisfied." Luminita Balan explained. It is this rigor of Professor Luminita Balan that has enabled more and more Romanians to read Chinese literature and know more about Chinese culture more accurately.

Translation is indeed a time-consuming and challenging task, but for Luminita Balan, translating Chinese literary works is her greatest joy. "The Chinese people have taught me that 'constant grinding turns an iron rod into a needle'. Over the years, as a sinologist and translator, I have translated numerous Chinese classics and literary works, which have enhanced the local people's understanding of Chinese culture and the communication between the Romanian and Chinese cultures. I feel particularly happy and filled with a sense of accomplishment. Next, I will have new translation plans, because there are so many excellent works of Chinese literature worth translating, and I will let more Romanians know about China's splendid culture and long history." said Luminita Balan.

Collecting treasures on the road to exploring Chinese

In addition to the field of translation, Luminita Balan is also actively involved in the field of international Chinese language education, sparing no effort to promote the development of Chinese language education in the region.

Luminita Balan once said, "One person's time and effort is limited, and I have always regretted my inability to expose more Romanians to the Chinese language, to show them more Chinese literature, and to help understand the deeper connotations of Chinese culture."

But to her delight, in recent years, there are more and more people paying attention to and supporting the cause of international Chinese language education, and the local Chinese language education in Romania has further developed.

In 2016, the Romanian Ministry of Education announced the inclusion of Chinese in the list of foreign language courses for primary and secondary schools, which marked the official inclusion of Chinese in the Romanian national education system. "This is the greatest treasure I have obtained on the thorny path of exploring Chinese." Luminita Balan said with satisfaction. This means, however, that there is a higher demand for quality Chinese language education.

Therefore, Luminita Balan actively advances the development of local Chinese language textbooks and syllabus in Romania to lay a solid foundation for the sustainable development of Chinese language education in the region. "Currently, the University of Bucharest is working with Beijing Normal University to develop a series of textbooks that will be dedicated to creating tailor-made local Chinese language textbooks for Romanian students." She said.

As an ambassador dedicated to enhancing cultural exchanges between the two countries, with the guidance and organization of Luminita Balan, more than 50 colorful Chinese cultural activities are held locally every year, as well as high-end academic forums and academic exchange brands.

Looking back on her experience with Chinese, Luminita Balan said, "It may be true that I chose a difficult path full of thorns at first, but whenever I see the results of my efforts, I know that I have been fruitful. And I believe that everyone who is connected to China will benefit from the incredible and endless treasures that China has offered to the world."