A Message from Liu Zhenyun to Our Global Translation Community

We are pleased to share a message from Liu Zhenyun to all those who took part in this year’s Voices of Today Literary Translation Prize.

This year’s prize received over 100 submissions from 14 countries, reflecting an extraordinary level of engagement with contemporary Chinese literature. The care and attention shown across the entries have been deeply encouraging.

In his message, Liu Zhenyun expresses his sincere thanks to all participants, and reflects on the emotional connections that sit beneath language — and the shared experiences that bind us across cultures.

世界各地，不同的街道上，街上走着的每个人，内心都有伤痕，大家都辛苦了。

His words offer a powerful reminder that translation is not only about meaning, but about carrying emotion across languages and contexts.

The shortlist will be announced on the Paper Republic website, and the winner will be revealed at the Beijing International Book Fair in June.

We are grateful to everyone who participated in this year’s prize, and to our partners at Paper Republic for their continued collaboration.

The Voices of Today Literary Translation Prize is a joint initiative by Singing Grass and Paper Republic, supporting the translation of contemporary Chinese literature into English.