Keynote: Our Many Identities—Translator as Advocate and Bridge
Panel 阿甲 (Ajia), Hendarto Setiadi, Jiwone Lee | Moderator: Amanda Ruiqing Flynn
In this year’s keynote, we highlight the multiple roles taken on by the translator beyond the translation of works. Our speakers share the thrills and challenges being involved in the publication process, and also about the advocacy they participate in.
阿甲 (Ajia) (China)
阿甲，中国的童书作家、翻译家、阅读推广人，也是一位颇受欢迎的说故事人。作为独立研究者，他曾著有《图画书小史》、《帮助孩子爱上阅读：儿童阅读推广手册》等。他还译有多本童书参考书，如《亲爱的天才》（伦纳德·马库斯 编著）、《写给未来的艺术家》（艾瑞·卡尔 编著）等。
Ajia (阿甲) is a Chinese author and translator of children’s books, a promoter of reading, an enthusiastic storyteller and a 2022 Carle Honors Bridge Honoree. As an independent researcher, he has written several books including A Little History of Picture Books and Passion for Reading – A Handbook on Reading Promotion. Picture books authored by Ajia include Li Na: Be an Even Better You illustrated by Yu Rong and Drawing a horse illustrated by Dai Dunbang. He has also translated several reference books like Dear Genius by Leonard S. Marcus and more than 200 picture books from English to Chinese, such as the Peter Rabbit Series, Goodnight Moon, and Where the Wild Things Are.
Hendarto Setiadi (Indonesia)
Hendarto is a freelance translator who works from German and English into his native Bahasa Indonesia. He launched his career in the mid-1980s and to date has translated more than 100 titles, most of them books for children and young readers. He joined Himpunan Penerjemah Indonesia (the Association of Indonesian Translators) in 2004 and currently serves on the advisory board of the organisation. He lives with his family in Bogor near Jakarta and enjoys working from home in the tranquility of his semi-rural surroundings.
Jiwone Lee (South Korea)
Jiwone Lee is an art historian, translator of children’s literature, and curator of children’s book exhibitions. With an MA and PhD in art history from Poland, she specializes in the history of children’s book illustrations. She is a lecturer at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and the University of Seoul and has translated 69 books into Korean. She has curated numerous events and exhibitions related to children’s picture books, including at the Bologna Book Fair and the Albus Gallery in Seoul.
Moderator Amanda Ruiqing Flynn (Singapore)
Amanda Ruiqing Flynn is an artist, writer, Chinese-English translator and creative writing teacher who has lived and worked in the UK, Taiwan and Singapore. She holds a BA in Chinese and Development Studies from SOAS and an MFA in Art and Design. Amanda has won several competitions for her writing and artwork. She is the author-illustrator of The Woof that Went Weng, her first children’s picture book, which will be published by Balestier Press in 2024. On most days, she is chief storyteller to her son.
Programme dates and times are subject to change.