English translation of Hong Kong Type
NFT ebook news
Hong Kong Type: A Love Letter Late by One Hundred and Fifty Years, previously serialized in DCK in Translation, has been published in NFT ebook format. The following is the preface to the translation.
Preface
Hong Kong Type: A Love Letter Late by One Hundred and Fifty Years was originally published in Chinese in 2021. The initial draft of this English translation was completed in September 2023 using the open-source application Bilingual Bookmaker, connected to the GPT-4 API. Later chapters were retranslated using the same method in December 2023 and March 2024. Given the significant improvements in GPT’s capabilities over the course of a year, the translations vary in quality depending on when they were completed. However, due to the extensive corrections and editing required, it is impractical to redo the earlier drafts, and thus, the text remains in its imperfect state.
From the perspective of literary translation standards, this GPT-assisted version does not fully meet the mark. While it is literally faithful to the original, it lacks naturalness, style, and consistency. Nevertheless, I believe it is worth publishing as an experiment in AI translation and as a means of literary and cultural exchange. For those interested in non-English literary works, it is sufficiently readable and accessible. Moreover, a limited translation is far better than no translation, which is the fate of 99.99% of valuable works in their native languages, left without the opportunity or means to reach an English-speaking audience. This is why I decided to make it available in NFT e-book form despite its shortcomings.
I have personally corrected and edited the text to ensure the translation is both accurate and readable. It has been serialized in 34 installments from October 2023 to June 2024 in my electronic newsletter, DKC in Translation. Special thanks to Jennifer Feeley for reviewing the manuscript and checking for any English language errors and misusages.
My view on AI translation is straightforward: the best human translators surpass machines in quality but are far less available. If we value the free exchange of knowledge, machine translation can serve us better than we may have imagined, with its benefits outweighing its flaws. I look forward to a future where pre-translated versions are unnecessary, allowing readers to simply launch their own translation apps to access any text in any language with ease and reliability.
Dung Kai-cheung
Title: Hong Kong Type: A Love Letter Late by One Hundred and Fifty Years
Author: Dung Kai-cheung
Translation: GPT-4, edited by author
Publisher: Dungfookei
Technical support: Liker Land
NFT first edition: November 2024
Set price: 20 USD
More information: Dungfookei bookstore