For the sake of flowers sweetly make rotten grass how to solve the translator's dilemma

In some of the new book sharing activities of translated works, we often hear scholars laughing at the self-deprecating translation of books as "generating electricity with love" and "laborious and unflattering conscience work", and even some scholars ridicule "thanks for paying attention to our vulnerable groups". But behind such jokes, there are still many people who willingly practice their value choices. Some scholars have translated more than forty books and single-handedly supported a series of books. There are also scholars who do not completely take the evaluation of achievements and the evaluation of professional titles as the work orientation, and insist on translating the required reading list of disciplines for students. When the effort of translating a serious work is not proportional to the reward, why do they have to spend a lot of energy to do it? In the interview, many translators mentioned their original intention to do this "chore", which is almost surprisingly consistent - sharing. They consciously become "altruists" in culture out of a sense of responsibility for academic construction and cultural popularization. In fact, sharing is also a kind of construction. Lu Xun once wrote in "Before There Was a Genius": "Most of geniuses are gifted; with this soil of cultivating geniuses, it seems that everyone can do it... If you are not afraid to do small things, it is natural to be able to create, otherwise translation, introduction, appreciation, reading, watching, and leisure can be. Lu Xun believes that translation and other careers are the soil for cultivating geniuses, and he himself started as a translator, carrying forward the spirit of making rotten grass for flowers and sweets throughout his life. Many people say that the dilemma of translating books is just a small matter that is not humane, but only a small undertaking that is difficult to solve for a while. But don't forget, there is a very important keyword in the process of Jin Xiaoyu entering the public eye, that is, "being seen". In fact, people expect to see more people who are struggling for the spread of knowledge, and they should also see the "altruists" in those cultures. Because "seeing" itself is a force. (Chen Xue)

Source: Guangming Daily