Brian Holton (born 11 July 1949) is the translator of Chinese "Misty" poet Yang Lian. He translates into English and Scots, and is the only currently-publishing Chinese-Scots translator in the world. Biography Early life Holton was born in Galashiels, Selkirkshire, Scotland, but spent his early years from 1949-1955 in Lagos, Nigeria. Education Holton was educated in Scotland, at Larbert High School and Galashiels Academy, studying for Highers in Latin, Greek, French and English. He gained an MA 1st class Hons. (summa cum laude) in Chinese Studies from the University of Edinburgh in 1975, after which he carried out postgraduate research at Durham University from 1976-8. Career From 1978-85 Holton was based in the Scottish Borders, working in jobs including at the Ettrick & Lauderdale Museum Service from 1982-85 as a Documentation Supervisor: cataloguing, indexing, copy editing, print buying, conceiving and mounting exhibitions, and carrying out general curatorial work. From 1981 - 85 he worked for BBC Radio Tweed, BBC Radio Scotland as a part-time writer and presenter part-time working on features, music, literature, and cultural events. From 1981-82 he worked at the Border Country Life Museum as an Assistant Curator handling field collection and collection management. From 1980-81 Holton worked for the Borders Regional Council, surveying and photographing buildings of architectural or historic importance, and in 1979-80 writing guidebooks and other tourist literature. Academic career He was the Leverhulme Research Associate in the Dept. of Chinese at the University of Edinburgh, working on the Jin Shengtan Project from 1985-88. He also worked at Ningbo University, Ningbo, PRC in 1989 as a lecturer in English. He worked for Amnesty International's East Asia Research Dept. in London in 1989 as a researcher and translator and from 1991-2 as a freelance translator. He was a lecturer in Chinese at the University of Edinburgh, Dept. of East Asian Studies from 1989–91, teaching modern & classical Chinese literature and language. He worked for the London School of Traditional Chinese Medicine from 1991-2 as a tutor/interpreter. He taught at the Civil Service College, Sunningdale, Berkshire from 1991-2 as a Consultant Tutor providing management training. He taught at the University of Durham's Dept. of East Asian Studies from 1992-7 as a lecturer in Chinese, teaching modern & classical Chinese literature and language. He was at the Language Centre of the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne from 1997 - 9 as a lecturer in Chinese teaching Chinese language and Chinese-English