Examining the Translation of Experimental Writing from Multimodal and Ludic Lenses: A Case Study of Wang Wen-Hsing’s Peihaitêjên and Its Translation Backed Against the Sea

“Multimodality” is defined as “the use of several semiotic modes in the design of a semiotic product or event” (Kress and Van Leeuwen 2001: 29). Its multidimensional conceptualizations allow for a thorough interpretation of the semiotic complexity of texts. By stressing the significance of non-verbal components of a multimodal text, such a study highlights the interaction and existence of several modes (considered as the semiotic channel) rather than focusing just on the verbal text. Meanwhile, ludic act refers to the idea of “translation-as-play”, where translation acts on performative resources for artistic expression beyond linguistic signals, puts it to experimental treatment full of quirks and contingencies, and extends it into different paths (Lee 2022). This research applies both the conceptualizations of multimodality and ludic translation approach that complement each other to explore (1) how the translator handles the distinctive features of experimental literary writing by incorporating a variety of multimodal resources, paralinguistic or typographic modalities, in particular, in the linguistic dimension of the translation; (2) how such mediation recontextualises or redistributes the source text features in the process, which in turn adds performative value to the target text; and hence (3) how experimental literary writing and its translation can be perceived as a repertoire of a dynamic embodiment of creative assemblage and meaning-making composite transcending merely equivalence-based meaning transference. With Wang Wen-Hsing’s Peihaitêjên and its translation Backed Against the Sea – one of the most representative and pioneering works of experimental writings in Taiwan’s literary scene– as the case study, this research explores how the translation of experimental literary work and its distinctive features, in particular the paralinguistic or typographic resources, can be perceived as a vertical “creative motion” (Scott 2012: 14) that occurs in the experiential context transitional space between the text and the translator.