Finnish Translator of 'Taiwan Travelogue' Rauno Sainio Discovers Chinese-Language Gems Through Online Bookstore [Exclusive Interview]

(Central News Agency, Helsinki, 9th, Special Dispatch by Reporter Wu Qilin) The Finnish edition of 'Taiwan Travelogue', which recently won the International Booker Prize, was translated by Rauno Sainio. Looking at the Finnish book market, almost all visible Chinese-language literature has been translated by him. Over the past 12 years, he has translated 28 books, a remarkable output covering topics from contemporary Taiwanese literature to Chinese science fiction. His secret to unearthing a wealth of good books? He relies on Taiwan's online bookstore, Books.com.tw (博客來), proudly calling himself a major online shopper.

Sainio is an experienced translator, but in an exclusive interview with CNA, he admitted that 'Taiwan Travelogue' was the most difficult book he has ever taken on. He described the translation process as like walking through a swamp, slow and arduous. The book reads like a Japanese novel, and he often stared at the text, unable to identify which dish was being described. Just translating a paragraph describing an entire Japanese New Year's feast would take him an entire day.

To translate with authentic flavor, Sainio delved into all available Finnish books on Japanese cuisine, consulted his wife's Japanese brother-in-law, and watched Taiwanese cooking channels on YouTube to finally understand how those dishes were made.

The book's dish names are mixed with Taiwanese Hokkien. Instead of using transliteration, Sainio translated the dish names into descriptive Finnish, making them smooth for Finnish readers. He believes that removing the transliteration does not diminish the Taiwanese flavor of the book.

In his youth, Sainio had little to do with literature. He lived in the town of Sastamala, known as the 'Book Town of Finland', until he was 19, but books never truly entered his life.

What led him into this world was his father's video rental store in the town. Bored with Hollywood movies as a teenager, he dove headfirst into East Asian cinema, voraciously watching films from Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and China, sparking his curiosity about the Eastern world.

Sainio's parents were the first in their village to open a business in town, and he was the first in his family to attend university in the city.

'Learning Chinese was pure hard labor,' Sainio said. Just memorizing the basic 3,000 Chinese characters required writing them over and over, only to write them again the next day. Strangely, he remained fascinated by the form of the characters and never tired of self-studying for five years. Later, he received a scholarship to study in Jinhua, Zhejiang, and Yunnan, China, for three years, spending two of those years in Kunming. He also met his wife while they were both studying Chinese in Yunnan.

Sainio's career as a translator was largely self-created. He sensed a demand for Chinese-language translators in the Finnish book market, so he proactively pitched good books to publishers. When lucky, publishers supported him; when he hit a wall, he could talk up the selling points until he was blue in the face, but the investors might still refuse to print. He navigated this path for over a decade before he could fully dedicate himself to translation in recent years. Sainio admitted, 'Without small, risk-taking independent publishers like Aula & Co, a translator like me simply wouldn't exist.'

Despite considering himself introverted, Sainio actively manages an online community to promote his beloved translation vocation, becoming a somewhat influential opinion leader in the Finnish publishing world. He is passionate about sharing anecdotes from the Chinese-language literary scene, tirelessly building a bridge between Nordic and Chinese cultures.

Sainio reads all types of books. Several of his Taiwanese translations are on LGBTQ+ themes, which he says is purely coincidental; they are all good works. The list of books he wants to translate is increasingly filled with Taiwanese works. He proudly told CNA reporters that he is a long-time customer of Books.com.tw, placing orders for a dozen books at a time, with a long 'buy later' list always in his shopping cart.

Sainio believes that Taiwanese and Hong Kong literature is easier to introduce to Finland than works from China. He finds Taiwanese society highly attractive to Western readers, and Finnish readers can easily resonate with the situations and feelings of the characters. He has visited Taiwan twice and says he hasn't been there enough; next time, he plans to explore beyond the cities because 'my wife has completely fallen in love with Taiwan.'

Furthermore, he feels a sense of belonging to Taiwan: 'To some extent, I even feel like it's home here.' He admits this charm is hard to explain concretely; it might come from the people or the overall atmosphere. Of course, Taiwan's beautiful scenery is stunning, and he is deeply fascinated.

Translation is a solitary job. Sainio works from home, buried in his computer, with no colleagues. Occasional interviews and events add a bit of color to his days. He admits he doesn't mind the quiet and is even grateful not to have to work in an office.

More remarkably, he loves his work so much that he hardly considers it work and has no plans to retire. He knows several translators who worked well into their seventies without stopping. For him, the greatest reward is being able to bring good books that Finns couldn't otherwise read to their doorstep. (Editor: Chen Huiping) 1150610