The “Condor Controversy”

A WORD ON THE TITLE OF THE SERIES: Legends of the Condor Heroes . The character in the original Chinese title, "diao" , is usually translated as "eagle". The word eagle does not refer to a natural group but to any bird of prey capable of hunting large vertebrates. However, the birds described in this volume are in fact much larger than the species of eagle found in Asia, and some are white in colour. As we will discover in future volumes in the series, these are fantastical creatures that practice martial arts and are even capable of teaching humans their skills. The Chinese character used, "diao", provides no more specific information beyond the genus, Aquila , true eagles. Therefore, there is much to merit "eagle" as a translation.

Since the novel's first publication, however, the title has been translated into English many different ways. The one that has gained traction in various forums, on YouTube and online discussion sites: translates the bird as "condor". The earliest concrete example I could find was the 1983 Hong Kong T.V.B. adaptation for television, and all the television adaptations since seem to have adopted this translation. Condors are native to the Americas, not to Asia. They are considerably larger than all the Asian species of eagle, but still appear to be smaller than the mythical birds in Legends of the Condor Heroes . I decided to continue with "condor" as a translation for the simple fact that many English-speaking fans already know the series by this name, and as the bird is fictional and clearly described in fantastical terms, there is no scientifically accurate translation to be found in any meaningful sense. This is fiction, after all. And Jin Yong's work already belongs to a collective imagination, even in English. I want my translation to interact with these existing fans and the considerable time and passion that they have already invested in the series under this title, as well as to attract new readers.