Self-Translation and Literary Reception in the Works of Ouyang Yu and Raymond Federman

This paper will examine metadiscourses on self-translation in the works of Ouyang Yu and Raymond Federman. Both migrant writers, these authors use self-translation as a way to demonstrate and build their own paratopic position with regard to their respective social and literary landscapes. In the case of Ouyang Yu, the tensions under discussion refer to the marginalised position of Chinese migrants in Australia, and in the case of Raymond Federman, the intersections at stake are those between his Jewish, French and American identities. These authors’ works and self-translation practices reflect and comment extensively on the negative reception of migrants and their literary outputs within dominant cultures. From this perspective, it is interesting to note that both write from a minority point of view, despite their use of major languages (Chinese and English; French and English), in order to challenge power relationships within national and transnational contexts. In each case, self-translation serves as a way to navigate issues of reception and contexts of exclusion or persecution, integrating a metadiscourse that shapes both the literary texts and their surrounding discourses. The analysis will draw on primary as well as paratextual materials, and also on the theoretical writings of both authors. Through these case studies, the paper will address questions of power relationships and literary responses in a globalised society.