Проблемы литератур Дальнего Востока

54 Issues of Far Eastern Literatures: Materials of the 11th International Scientific Cconference. June 27–29, 2024 Batygin Kirill (MandarinPro Translation Association), mandarinprorussia@gmail.com “Light of My Life!” VS “Oh Heavens!” or the Mikhail Zoshchenko in Chinese. Reverse Translation and Analysis of the Chinese Edition of the Short Story “Poverty” (1) Mikhail Zoshchenko published the short story “Electrification” in the “Red Raven” magazine (1924). The piece was later revised and renamed “Poverty” (1925). (2) “Communism is Soviet authority plus the electrification of the entire country,” noted Lenin right around that time. However, the short story forces us down the rabbit hole of Zoshchenko’s peculiar world, taking us from Soviet Russia all the way down to a communal apartment where the call for electrification leads to unpredictable results. (3) My presentation is centered around the analysis of the complete reverse translation of the Chinese edition of “Poverty” back into Russian. The author is a master of elegant wordplay. It would seem that such characterful phrases as “shining the brightest light possible” should ideally be retained. (4) The Chinese edition is a fine translation of the short story. Most of the piece is relayed quite faithful. My Chinese colleagues (both fluent in Russian and unfamiliar with the language) noted that they found the text to be congenial, it sounds authentic and effortless to their ears. Some changes in meanings are understandable and provoke no further questions. (5) I would suggest that the Chinese edition appears to be more “clarified” and “artful” than the Russian original which seems to be more of a “stream of consciousness.” (6) The final section of the Chinese edition proves to be disappointing. It would appear that this is an example of censorship. The main body of the transla- tion, loyally following Zoshchenko’s original, is supplemented with a wholly new text which transforms the short story into a communist parable with obvious critique of people who would prefer to remain in the 4. FAR EASTERN LITERATURES IN RUSSIA & RUSSIAN LITERATURE IN THE FAR EASTERN& SOUTH-EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES: TRANSLATION, PERCEPTION AND INTERFERENCE