Translation company: Vietnamese children’s books take off abroad

After grabbing international awards, a pair of Vietnamese children’s authors will see their work translated into five different languages.

Painter and author Nguyen Ngoc Thuan published Vua nham mat, vua mo cua so nearly a decade ago, in Vietnam. The book, which told a series of short stories from the perspective of a ten-year-old boy, won first prize at the 3rd Children’s Literature Writing Contest in 2002.

In 2007, a Swedish publishing house translated and released the book. The same year, it won the International Committee for Children’s Books in Sweden.

Now, the local publishers plan to release an English-language edition of the book here in Vietnam under the title, “Open the window, eyes closed.”

In related news, a Thai publishing house plans to release a translation of Cho toi xin mot ve di tuoi tho (Give me a ticket back to childhood) this August. The Dasan Books Publishing House also has plans to translate and release the book in South Korea.

The book’s author, Nguyen Nhat Anh, took the Southeast Asian Writer’s award last year for the work, which illustrates a grown man’s memories of his childhood fantasies.

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Hanoi to erect fences around historic stone steles

Many people touch the stone steles and stone tortoises to wish for good luck but this can damage the precious structures

Hanoi is planning to build fences around the 82 steles at Van Mieu (Temple of Literature) that have been recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The steles, engraved with the names of doctorate holders, date back to 1442.

The fences would be made of glass or wood, said Dang Kim Ngoc, director of Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam Scientific and Cultural Activities Center, adding that they were awaiting approval from related agencies

In the meantime, the steles, located at Vietnam’s first university Quoc Tu Giam, are being temporarily protected with plastic ropes and fabric, the director said.

Experts have said the stone slabs are facing risks of serious damage as thousands of people come to touch them for good luck during the Lunar New Year festival and before annual university exams.

The risks would be higher with more visitors expected to come after the UNESCO recognized the steles a World Heritage last month, they said.

Last year the temple welcomed more than one million visitors and over 300,000 during this year’s Tet holiday (Lunar New Year).

Vietnam second documentary heritage to be recognized by UNESCO, Van Mieu’s steles are engraved with records of 82 royal examinations held from 1442-1779 under the Le and Mac dynasties in old Chinese characters.

They were placed on the backs of stone tortoises that symbolize longevity and permanence.

Besides the protection measures, the center was also completing the translation of all related information about the steles, including their content, into English, Ngoc said.

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