An Ecotranslation Manifesto: On the Translation of Bionyms in Nativist and Nature Writing from Taiwan

This chapter considers the translation of bionyms in modern literature in the context of mass bionym extinction. Just as we seek to protect biological diversity, so we should protect bionymic diversity, because it is a part of the cultural diversity on which humanity can draw to live in harmony with the creatures that have been pushed to the periphery by industrialized civilization. As a way of protecting bionym diversity, I present my own polyglot bionym translation manifesto as a way of protecting bionym diversity. My manifesto may seem overly demanding for a nativist writer like Huang Chun-ming, but it suits a nature writer like Wu Ming-yi, who makes a point of naming and renaming individual species in different languages in his works.