Bai Li emerged victorious over three other Chinese translators after winning the Irish Literature Translation Prize 2015 on Aug. 20 at an award ceremony held at the Sinan Mansions in Shanghai.
Bai's winning piece was her translation of the novel "The Empty House" by Colm Toibin, as announced by Lu Li'an, one of the judges of the prize and incidentally, an English professor at Fudan University.
According to Lu, Bai's work was a "faithful, elegant and expressive translation."
Bai's award-winning piece "presents [the readers] a work that cuts across the barrier of time and language, bringing us back to James Joyce's 'The Dubliners,'" Lu added.
The Irish novel's translated edition was co-published by Shanghai 99 and the People's Literature Publishing House back in 2012.
The Irish Literature translation awarding was held for the second time in China. It is organized by Ireland's consulate-general in partnership with the Ireland Literature Exchange, the Shanghai Book Fair and the Shanghai Review of Books, an Oriental Morning Post book review supplement.
Paul Kavanagh, Ireland's ambassador to China, emphasized during the awarding ceremony the vital role of translators.
The ambassador acknowledged that these persons act as a bridge between China and Ireland, and a potentially great means to foster the nations' cultural exchange endeavors.
Bai has won a bursary for travel to visit the country of Ireland for a month to work on another Irish literature to translate. This is apart from the cash prize worth 17,000 yuan.
Other translators who were shortlisted for the award were Zhang Yun (Colum McCann's "Dancer"), Li Yuchao (Sebastian Barry's "On Canaan's Side") and Zhou Jianing (Emma Donoghue's "Slammerkin").