Taiwanese Social Science Research Published in Paris with National Council Support

The "Thousands of Words and Miles of Humanities: Project for the Translation and Publication of Taiwan’s Humanities and Social Sciences Research Outputs," fully supported by the National Science and Technology Council and concretely implemented by the National Museum of Taiwan Literature, grandly held a highly anticipated book launch at the hémisphères publishing house in Paris, France, on the 14th local time. The event officially debuted three French-translated works covering Taiwan's culinary culture, environmental changes, and economic development. This cultural milestone not only showcases Taiwan's fruitful research achievements in the fields of humanities and social sciences, but also successfully blends the rigorous discourse of Taiwanese scholars with the delicate emotions of literary writers through a unique editorial perspective, opening an important window for French and European readers to gain an in-depth understanding of Taiwan's contemporary social landscape and historical context.

The three newly published French translations unveiled in Paris demonstrate a high degree of ambition and innovative thinking in their arrangement and selection of topics. Each book adopts a dual-track thematic strategy, contrasting and juxtaposing objective and rational social science research findings with literary works filled with subjective emotions and life experiences. This cross-disciplinary publishing model, which gives equal weight to knowledge and emotion, breaks the stereotype that academic works are often difficult to understand. By using the warmth of literature to echo the depth of social science research, French readers are able to feel the genuine heartbeat and temporal atmosphere of ordinary Taiwanese life through literary stories, alongside reading cold data and structural analysis, thereby building a more multi-dimensional and vivid image of Taiwan.

The topics covered by these three new books closely align with key areas of contemporary global concern: Taiwan's unique culinary culture, urgent environmental and ecological issues, and dynamic economic development trajectory. The culinary section explores not only the delicacies on the table, but also delves into the ethnic integration, historical shifts, and cultural identities behind them. The environmental issue confronts the conflicts and adaptations Taiwan faces regarding industrialization, climate change, and ecological conservation under its island geography. The economic dimension documents the struggle of how small and medium-sized enterprises have flexibly transformed and how the labor class has experienced changes amidst international geopolitics and the wave of globalization. These themes possess a high degree of uniqueness and academic value in the French-speaking publishing market, effectively filling the gap in the French public's understanding of this democratic island in the Far East.

The background for promoting this project is rooted in Taiwan's long-standing, abundant, and diverse energy in the humanities and social sciences. In the past, although Taiwan's academic research and literary creations enjoyed a high reputation in the Chinese-speaking world, it was not easy to directly enter the Western mainstream knowledge system due to language barriers and the distribution of international publishing resources. The translation project jointly promoted by the NSTC and the NMTL is precisely aimed at breaking through this linguistic wall and actively pushing Taiwan's knowledge production achievements onto the world stage. Choosing to hold the launch in Paris—a city with profound cultural heritage and active ideological trends—and cooperating with the local professional publisher hémisphères holds even greater symbolic significance, helping Taiwan's academic and cultural voices directly integrate into Europe's knowledge and public discussion arenas.

From the long-term perspective of cultural diplomacy and international communication, the translation and publication of such humanities, social sciences, and literary works play a crucial role in deepening international understanding. Contemporary international society's attention toward Taiwan often focuses on geopolitical conflicts or the strategic economic position of the high-tech semiconductor industry; however, a society's resilience and charm are usually founded on its profound humanistic heritage, diverse cultural inclusiveness, and pursuit of civil society values. Through the publication of these three newly translated French books, French readers are able to break away from the fast-food information of news headlines and truly understand what Taiwanese people think and feel through daily diet, care for the land, and economic changes, thereby establishing emotional connections and cultural resonance that span across the Eurasian continent.