The Writing University conducts a series of interviews with writers while they are in Iowa City participating in the various University of Iowa writing programs. We sit down with authors to ask about their work, their process and their descriptions of home.
Today we are speaking with Fion Tse, MFA candidate in the Literary Translation.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Fion Tse translates between Chinese (Cantonese/Mandarin) and English. She studied Comparative Literature and East Asian Languages & Civilizations at the University of Chicago, and is now pursuing an MFA in Literary Translation at the University of Iowa as an Iowa Arts Fellow.
1. Can you tell us a little bit about what brought you to the University of Iowa?
I wrapped up my undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago in 2024. I had translated half a novel for my honors thesis, and I was eager to continue studying translation at the graduate level. Earlier in my undergraduate years, I had taken a translation workshop with Annie Janusch, who recommended I look into the University of Iowa’s MFA program in Literary Translation (where she used to teach!) After doing some research, I decided I liked the program’s dual focus on theory and practice, and decided to apply here.
2. What is the inspiration for your work right now?
For me, the biggest source of inspiration for any translation project I’m working on is the source text itself! Translation forces you to read intimately, and you have to be quite intimate to rewrite the text in a different language. I find in reading closely, slowly, and carefully, there’s a whole world to be uncovered in every word, which is so exciting to me. I love going down fun rabbit-holes! Other than that, I am constantly inspired by the writers and translators around me here in Iowa City: it is truly such a privilege to be around this many amazing artists and people!
3. Do you have a daily writing routine?
I don’t have a set routine that I stick to. Most of my days revolve around my class schedule, so I try to fit in whatever work I have to do in the chunks of free time I have. I do find it’s easiest for me to translate when I’m at my desk, with my monitor open on a split screen, but I try to be flexible with my workspace. Sometimes I even translate on the bus, or in my head before I go to sleep, though that’s mostly because I’m so excited about the text I can’t stop thinking about it!
4. What are you reading right now? Are you reading for research or pleasure?
Right now, I’m finishing up Madeleine Thien’s Do Not Say We Have Nothing. Alongside that, I’m reading Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr! Both hard-hitting reads, but surprisingly both for pleasure. I’m also really enjoying Bleak House, for a class I’m taking on Dickens. Even in the books I’m reading “for pleasure”, there’s an element of “research” in it—in that I’m constantly adding to my reserve of ideas, words, etc. that I can express in my current or future projects.
5. Tell us about where you are from - what are some favorite details you would like to share about your home?
I grew up in Hong Kong, which is a place that, for most people, brings to mind investment banking and global business, or perhaps fraught politics. Without denying the importance of either, I also want to add that Hong Kong has a long literary history and a rich literary scene, both anglophone and sinophone (and there are many, many other languages in Hong Kong, too, like Nepali, Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia, and more!) Hong Kong is a city of constant motion and eternal change, and for me literature is one of the ways we can preserve our past while continuing to move forward thoughtfully. If you’re interested in reading more about Hong Kong, I’d highly recommend Wong Yi’s Ways to Love in a Crowded City (currently available in Chinese), as well as Xi Xi’s Mourning a Breast (translated into English by Jennifer Feeley).
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Thank you!