On this past March 17, 2025, the students of the Chinese Language and Culture for Business II Curricular Unit of the Master’s Degree in Intercultural Studies for Business at ISCAP-P.PORTO gathered at Casa Comum to attend a public lecture given by the specialist in Chinese Studies from the University of Aveiro, António Graça de Abreu. The theme of the lecture was “Translating great Chinese poetry: classicism, fascination and modernity. And a brief journey through Chinese theater and romance”.
During the lecture, Professor António Graça de Abreu shared his vast experience of working in China, exploring the challenges and solutions he encountered when translating classical Chinese poetry into Portuguese. He addressed the linguistic and cultural difficulties that arise in this process, offering valuable ideas for overcoming them. From a comparative literature perspective, Professor Abreu drew connections between the poets of ancient China and the poets and writers of Portugal and Brazil, underlining how the beauty of poetry can transcend linguistic and cultural barriers, allowing people from different backgrounds to appreciate the same art.
The speaker’s deep knowledge of Chinese culture was also evidenced by his familiarity with China’s ancient history. During his time working in China, he had the opportunity to visit various cities and the birthplaces of famous poets from the Tang dynasty and other dynasties, and thus personally experience the landscapes described in the poetry he translates. This direct contact with China’s cultural heritage has further enriched his translation work.
In the final part of the lecture, Professor Abreu shared his thoughts on the translation of poetry by artificial intelligence (AI). While acknowledging the advantages of AI as a convenient tool, he pointed out that in the case of poetry – a literary form that touches the human heart deeply and contains subtly crafted emotions and aesthetics – translations by AI often lack the necessary “sensitivity”. For Abreu, poetic translation is not just a matter of converting words, but of conveying culture, feelings and the essence of art, something that, in his opinion, AI still can’t do with the same depth and delicacy as a human translator.
This lecture gave the students a deeper understanding of classical Chinese poetry and the work of translation, while stimulating reflection on the transfer of feelings and meanings between cultures through language.