Guimarães Rosa in China: translation challenges and perspectives

The literature of João Guimarães Rosa (1908–1967) is marked by the vernacular language of the Brazilian backlands and linguistic innovations, which mix elements of orality and neologisms that make the understanding of his works considerably challenging even for the Brazilian public. Given his notoriety, Rosa's legacy has reached numerous countries, including China, whose cultural and linguistic differences in relation to the Brazilian backlands constitute a vast field of challenges, bringing considerable interest to the studies of translation and interculturality. This article sought to reflect on the challenges of translating Rosa's works into (Mandarin) Chinese, considering intercultural aspects present in translation strategies. To this end, methodological issues inherent to this qualitative study of bibliographic observation were addressed. Initially, a concise literature review was carried out on Rosa's translations in China, which began in the late 20th century, as well as considerations on the impact of Guimarães Rosa's works in the context of Chinese literary criticism. Next, some practical examples of the translation of Rosa's short stories into Chinese are observed in relation to the challenges encountered and the translation strategies applied. Based on these examples, cultural differences and similarities between the Chinese and Brazilian audiences were identified and the influences of these on the target text were investigated. Lastly, final considerations are made on the translation challenges addressed, which are expected to contribute to future research.