2026/3/4
Supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles, in collaboration with the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA), has announced Grace Ting as the recipient of the 2026 “Literature from Taiwan” Emerging Translator Mentorship Program. Grace Ting will receive nine months of professional mentorship from acclaimed translator Lin King to undertake the English translation of Island Where the Red Spider Lilies Bloom (Higanbana ga Saku Shima), the Akutagawa Prize-winning novel by Taiwan-born, Japan-based author Li Kotomi. Originally written in Japanese, it made history as the first work by a Taiwanese author to win the prestigious prize and was later translated into Chinese by the author herself.
Grace Ting is a Taiwanese-American scholar specializing in gender studies, with deep expertise in Japanese literature, queer theory, and feminism. Fluent in English, Chinese, and Japanese, she is currently pursuing advanced studies in literature, translation, and creative writing. Her journey with Li Kotomi’s work began through her academic and creative intersections. Set on a fictional island, the story features three distinct invented languages that reflect the story's gender politics. Translating such a complex linguistic landscape requires immense imagination and creativity. Li’s own Chinese translation will serve as a vital reference text for the English interpretation to ensure the translation remains faithful to the original nuances.
Mentor Lin King is a distinguished voice in the new generation of Mandarin-to-English literary translators. A recipient of the PEN America Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers, her translations include The Boy from Clearwater and Taiwan Travelogue. The latter achieved significant international acclaim, winning the National Book Award for Translated Literature in late 2024 and the ALTA First Translation Prize in 2025.
ALTA is the premier professional organization in the United States dedicated to the promotion of literary translation. Since 2020, the Academy has partnered with ALTA to mentor emerging translators such as Jenna Tang, a collaboration that previously facilitated the publication of the English edition of Fang Si-Chi’s First Love Paradise. Translators play a critical role in bringing Taiwanese literature to the global stage, as every translation is a creative reimagining across languages. The results of this mentorship will be presented at the ALTA annual conference in the fall. We look forward to introducing this profound Taiwanese literary work to English-speaking readers worldwide.
Liaison:
Tingchao Chang, Cultural Officer of Taiwan Academy
EMAIL：tcchang@moc.gov.tw
PHONE：+1 (213) 389-1215 ext. 315
