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• 20220630_Culture_1 papers 1-10: 1: 英语笔译 卞王倩 Bian Wangqian 202170081563 Europeanized Chinese and Cultural Factors Behind it, 2: 英语笔译 曹姣 Cao Jiao 202170081564 Research on court culture in the Tang Dynasty from the perspective of poem -- take Changhenge for example, 3 英语笔译 陈路瑶 Chen Luyao 202170081565, 4 英语笔译 崔晓凡 Cui Xiaofan 202170081566, 5 英语笔译 邓阳林 Deng Yanglin 202170081567, 6 英语笔译 高智慧 Gao Zhihui 202170081568, 7 英语笔译 何丽娜 He Lina 202170081569, 8 英语笔译 胡良明 Hu Liangming 202170081570, 9 英语笔译 黄琼 Huang Qiong 202170081571, 10 英语笔译 邝雨琪 Kuang Yuqi 202170081572
• 20220630_Culture_2 papers 11-20: 11 英语笔译 黎溢佳 Li Yijia 202170081573, 12 英语笔译 李思敏 Li Simin 202170081574, 13 英语笔译 李思源 Li Siyuan 202170081575, 14 英语笔译 李婷 Li Ting 202170081576, 15 英语笔译 李欣 Li Xin 202170081577, 16 英语笔译 李颖 Li Ying 202170081578, 17 英语笔译 李媛 Li Yuan 202170081579, 18 英语笔译 李梓婕 Li Zijie 202170081580, 19 英语笔译 梁思婷 Liang Siting 202170081581, 20 英语笔译 廖诗韵 Liao Shiyun 202170081582
• 20220630_Culture_3 papers 21-30: 21 英语笔译 刘唱 Liu Chang 202170081583, 22 英语笔译 刘乐乐 Liu Lele 202170081584, 23 英语笔译 刘双英 Liu Shuangying 202170081585, 24 英语笔译 刘婷 Liu Ting 202170081586, 25 英语笔译 刘瑶 Liu Yao 202170081587, 26 英语笔译 刘珍 Liu Zhen 202170081588, 27 英语笔译 龙翰良 Long Hanliang 202170081589, 28 英语笔译 罗姚林 Luo Yaolin 202170081590, 29 英语笔译 马艳焕 Ma Yanhuan 202170081591, 30 英语笔译 聂薇 Nie Wei 202170081592
• 20220630_Culture_4 papers 31-40: 31 英语笔译 孙丽君 Sun Lijun 202170081593, 32 英语笔译 仝雨梦 Tong Yumeng 202170081594, 33 英语笔译 童略雅 Tong Lueya 202170081595, 34 英语笔译 庹树梅 Tuo Shumei 202170081596, 35 英语笔译 王思琪 Wang Siqi 202170081597, 36 英语笔译 王亚娟 Wang Yajuan 202170081598, 37 英语笔译 肖冬晴 Xiao Dongqing 202170081599, 38 英语笔译 肖佳莉 Xiao Jiali 202170081600, 39 英语笔译 谢晓莹 Xie Xiaoying 202170081601, 40 英语笔译 熊嘉玲 Xiong Jialing 202170081602
• 20220630_Culture_5 papers 41-50: 41 英语笔译 颜媛 Yan Yuan 202170081603, 42 英语笔译 杨心怡 Yang Xinyi 202170081604, 43 英语笔译 杨紫微 Yang Ziwei 202170081605, 44 英语笔译 张国浩 Zhang Guohao 202170081606, 45 英语笔译 张姣玲 Zhang Jiaoling 202170081607, 46 英语笔译 张瑞 Zhang Rui 202170081608, 47 英语笔译 赵宇翔 Zhao Yuxiang 202170081609, 48 英语笔译 郑冬琴 Zheng Dongqin 202170081610, 49 英语笔译 钟青 Zhong Qing 202170081611, 50 英语笔译 周皓熙 Zhou Haoxi 202170081612
• 20220630_Culture_6 papers 51-60: 51 英语笔译 周哲 Zhou Zhe 202170081613, 52 英语笔译 朱丽娟 Zhu Lijuan 202170081614, 53 英语口译 段小蝶 Duan Xiaodie 202170081615, 54 英语口译 方楚晗 Fang Chuhan 202170081616, 55 英语口译 胡雯雯 Hu Wenwen 202170081617, 56 英语口译 黄天琪 Huang Tianqi 202170081618, 57 英语口译 兰绮 Lan Qi 202170081619, 58 英语口译 李丹 Li Dan 202170081620, 59 英语口译 李立飞 Li Lifei 202170081621, 60 英语口译 莫雨婷 Mo Yuting 202170081622
• 20220630_Culture_7 papers 61-70: 61 英语口译 彭慧璇 Peng Huixuan 202170081623, 62 英语口译 时友洁 Shi Youjie 202170081624, 63 英语口译 伍佳惠 Wu Jiahui 202170081625, 64 英语口译 夏晶 Xia Jing 202170081626, 65 英语口译 向师琦 Xiang Shiqi 202170081627, 66 英语口译 向望 Xiang Wang 202170081628, 67 英语口译 徐舞 Xu Wu 202170081629, 68 英语口译 张静芝 Zhang Jingzhi 202170081630, 69 英语口译 张旻丰 Zhang Minfeng 202170081631, 70 日语笔译 曹梦然 Cao Mengran 202170081632
• 20220630_Culture_8 papers 71-80: 71 日语笔译 胡梦琪 Hu Mengqi 202170081633, 72 日语笔译 张白鹭 Zhang Bailu 202170081634, 73 朝鲜语笔译 刘安莉 Liu Anli 202170081635, 74 朝鲜语笔译 王思佳 Wang Sijia 202170081636, 75 朝朝鲜语笔译 徐盖 Xu Gai 202170081638, 76 朝鲜语笔译 徐文慧 Xu Wenhui 202170081639, 77 外国语言文学 Akira Jantarat 202121080009, 78 比较文学与跨文化研究 Mahzad 202021080004, 79 英语语言文学 Mimi 2020GBJ002301

英语笔译 刘唱 Liu Chang 202170081583

Analysis on Localized Translation of English Games Based on Skopos Theory --Taking League of legends as an Example Liu Chang

Abstract

At present, with the vigorous development of information technology, basing on information technology and internet platform, online games gradually get rid of the name of electronic heroin, and gradually industrialize and systematize. It can be seen that e-sports has now become a relatively mature industry, but the problem is that most online games on the market are imported from abroad. Therefore, one of the inevitable problems in the introduction process is the localization of the game. Language, as an important carrier of information transmission, plays an indispensable role in game localization. Not like the traditional text, the translation of game text pays more attention to the main position of the reader and its adaptability in the target market. Taking the game League of Legends as an example, this paper explores how to better combine the game with Chinese culture in the form of language from the perspective of Skopos Theory of Translation, so as to make Chinese players accept the games better and more likely to be infiltrated by traditional Chinese culture during the process of enjoying the game. In this thesis, the author analyses the textual material of League of Legends from the perspective of Skopos Theory. Through the analysis of the lines, titles and names of the champions of this game. The author finds that the translators of the game mostly take the domestication strategy, and use several translation methods such as transliteration, amplification, free translation and so on to achieve their goal: making this game more acceptable for Chinese player and helping the Chinese players have a better game experience. However, during the process of analysis, the author analyzes the mistranslation and corrects the translation based on Skopos Theory. After the analysis of the material, it can be seen that with the guidance of Skopos Theory, translators can have specific rules to obey in order to achieve the goal and come out good translation. However, the related research in china is still very few, so the scholars should pay more attention to this field and make it a systematic discipline.

Key words

Skopos Theory; Game Translation; League of Legends

Introduction

(1)Research Background

With the increase of the power of consumption of Chinese consumers, the game market of China is also thriving now. According to the statistics, China now is the largest game market in the world, with the number of game player more than 600,000,000 (Dai Jie:2019,100-101). However, since most e-sports games in China are introduced from abroad, localized translation is very important. Currently, all large-scale e-sports games have specialized localized translation teams (Liu Chang & Yang Weixiu:2019,30-32). Their job is to translate the foreign games into Chinese in the way that can meet the need of Chinese player. During this process, the translators face a lot of difficulties, so they have to do the job with the instruction of various kinds of translation theories. In this thesis, the author takes the online game League of Legends, which is hot all around the world, as an example, and analyzes the translation of names and lines of the characters in the game based on the Skopos theory of Translation put forward by Hans Vermeer to discuss the principles of the Skopos theory showed or missed in the textual material.

(2)Brief Introduction to League of Legends

League of Legends (LOL) is developed by the United States game company Riot and operated by Tencent game. It is a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game (Cai Qiqi & Huang Yanjie:2018,84-88). In the game, the player takes on the role of a summoner and chooses your trusted allies to enter the Summoner’s Valley to battle with your enemies, fighting for the justice of Varoran. There is only one rule: Victory is everything! In the eyes of the game players and game developers, LOL is not just a game, but a fantasy world with a complete and huge world view. Every champion (the character manipulated by the players) possesses his or her own name, title, background story, lines and so on, which does not only enrich the content of the game, but also put forward a lot of challenges for the translators, for all of these names, titles and lines are the textual material which needs to be translated.

(3)Purpose and Significance of Game Translation

As foreign games have thrived in Chinese market, the paradox between fast development and a relative shortage of research about game translation has become apparent. In the process of the translation of the material of the game, the quality of translation has a great influence on the player's game experience, which is very important. However, domestic research on game translation is still in its infancy, and relevant scholars and translators may face the embarrassing situation that there is no theoretical knowledge as reference. Therefore, the research on game translation is a must-to-do and has certain practical significance. This thesis discusses how to better combine the game with Chinese culture in the form of language from the perspective of Skopos Theory of Translation, so as to make Chinese players accept the games better and more likely to be infiltrated by traditional Chinese culture during the process of enjoying the game.

Literature Review

(1) Review on Research of Skopos Theory of Translation

Foreign studies on functional translation start very early. Andrew Chesterman collects famous articles by Vermeer and Nord in Readings in Translation Theory (1989). Jeremy Munday introduces the main connotation of functional Translation theory in Introduced Translation Studies, and he believes that the functional translation school and communicative translation theory born in Germany promoted the innovation of translation theory, turning it from a static linguistic category into a cross-cultural communication behavior (2001,73-80). In Contemporary Translation Theories (2nd Revised Edition), according to Edwin Gentzler, the birth of the functional school of translation theory is an important moment in the history of translation theory. It puts an end to the two-thousands-long struggle between faithfulness and freedom in translation circles. According to functional translation theory, both faithful and free translation can be regarded as the correct choice as long as it conforms to the communicative purpose of the target text (2001,71). But at the same time, there are also some scholars have a skeptical or even negative attitude towards the functional Skopos theory. Peter Newmark, a famous translation theorist, thinks that functional translation theory was “dogmatism”. He comments in his book that “translation is a fractured discipline, and it is especially inappropriate to use a single integrated theory, dogma or general expression covering any text type. In this kind of process and practice, one must consider many issues at the same time... there is not any well-considered theory can cover all translation problems (1990,105).” There are four stages of the development of the Skopos Theory of Translation: The first stage: Katharina Reiss introduces the functional category into translation criticism for the first time (1999). The second stage: Hans Vermeer proposes Skopos Theory, which frees translation studies from the bondage of textual centralism (1987). The third stage: Justa Holz Manttari, proposes the theory of translation behavior. The fourth stage: Christiane Nord comprehensively summarizes and improves the functionalism theory (1991,30-32). He has proposed that translators should follow the guiding principle of “function plus loyalty”, and then perfected the theory (1996).

(2)Review on the Research of Game Translation

With the rapid expansion of the video game industry, there have been more and more researches on game translation in recent years. Trainor introduced game translation from two aspects of game content and text (2003,14). Yan Mingle analyzes the translation process in the process of the localization of games, and summarized some characteristics (2009). Xiao Zhiyan believes that as a kind of cross-cultural communication behavior, the name of game has a very strong purpose, and it bears the task of spreading the game information and facilitating the purchase in the cultural environment of the target language (2011).

(3)Summary

The development of the Skopos theory of translation now is already very mature now, however, the domestic research about game translation is still on its preliminary stage now. So translators and scholars should do the research of game translation based on the mature theory and make it the guidance of the practical translation. Only with the help of developed theory, translators are able to make the research of the game translation more systematical and standardized.

Methods and Theories

(1)An Introduction to Skopos Theory

Skopos Theory, which is developed by German linguist Vermeer, is the core of functional translation theory. It breaks through the bondage of equivalent translation theory centered on original text. Vermeer believes that “translation is a human behavior”, and “any behavior has a purpose”, so “translation is a purposeful behavior”, thus translation is “a discourse produced for a certain purpose and target audience in certain situation of the target language” (1996). Vermeer believes that translation should follow the skopos rule, the coherence rule and the fidelity rule, among which the skopos rule is the supreme principle. Vermeer completely breaks out of the equivalence theory of the textual center and focuses on the function of the text. In his opinion, translation strategies and methods must be flexible, and the translation should be carried out according to the situation and the purpose of the text, so as to realize the function and purpose of the text.

(2)Basic Rules of Skopos Theory

(2.1)The Skopos Rule

In the system of the Skopos theory of translation, the Skopos rule is the primary principle guiding all translations, which usually refers to the communicative purpose of the translation. That is to say, Skopos rule is the primary principle of Skopos theory. Because all texts are inevitably created with a certain purpose and ultimately to achieve this purpose, so the means to achieve the purpose should be determined by the purpose (Nord,1997,15).

(2.2)The Coherence Rule

Coherence rule refers to intralingual coherence, which means that the target text audience should be able to understand the content of the target text according to the context set by the translator.

(2.3)The Fidelity Rule

The fidelity rule refers to interlingual coherence, which reflects the relationship between the original text and the target text. It emphasizes that the content of the target text should be faithful to the content of the original text, but the degree and form of such fidelity depend on the translator's understanding of the original text and the specific requirements of the translation purpose.

(3)Summary

After understanding the basic meaning of the three rules of the Skopos Theory of translation, it can be found that in this theory, the most innovative point is the first and primary rule——the Skopos rule. It is the core of this theory and also it serves as the basic norm during the process of translation if someone is going to translate something based on the Skopos Theory. And the rest of the rules make up the void of the theory and improve the quality of the product to some extent.

Translation Under Skopos Theory

(1)Translation Under Skopos Rule

LOL is developed by western game company, so the original content is based on the combination of western culture and the fictional world. However, in the Chinese version, the Skopos rule has been precisely followed and many Chinese features and elements are added in the content in order to cater to the expectations and tastes of Chinese players (Zhang Yiyang:2016). During the process of the translation of the material, the translators mostly use the translation strategy of domestication and several translation methods such as transliteration, free translation, and so on, to achieve their goals.

Example 1:

Original version: Xayah, Rakan

Chinese version：霞、洛

In the background story of the game, “Xayah” and “Rakan” are both from Vastaya, where lives the half-bird, half-human creature. And they are enviable couple that can never be divided. According to this background information, here is the Chinese version “霞” and “洛”. The names are originated from a famous Chinese quatrains: A Tribute to King Teng’s Tower. In this quatrains, the author Wang Bo uses “落霞与孤鹜齐飞，秋水共长天一色” to describe the beautiful scenery of the sky (Tang Jiawen:2019, 127-129). So it can be found that this quatrain is suitable for the translation of “Xayah” and “Rakan”. There are three reasons. The first one is that in the quatrain, “落霞” and “孤鹜” together form a harmonious scenery and they seem to unite as one, also “Rakan” and “Xayah” are intimate lovers which is also a harmonious images. In this way, it can be considered as a kind of domestication. The second reason is that “Xayah” and “Rakan” are both half-bird creature, which correspond to “与孤鹜齐飞” in the quatrain. They are half-bird, so they can fly. The third reason is that the pronunciations of “Xayah” and “Rakan” are similar to the Chinese words “霞” and “洛”. In this way, the translator uses transliteration to achieve his goal. From three perspectives, the author thinks that the translation of this textual material is accord with the Skopos rule, for the translation does not only convey the information of the original text, but also meet the need and expectations of Chinese players.

Example 2

Original version: Here’s a tip and a spear behind.

Chinese version: 一点寒芒先到，随后枪出如龙。

In this case, it is the lines of a champion named Zhao Xin in the game. Zhao Xin is a loyal warrior with a spear as his weapon. His prototype is the famous military officer in the three kingdoms period, Zhao Yun. So during the process of translation, the translator also takes the domestication strategy and uses the translation methods of free translation and amplification to cater to the taste of Chinese player. In this sentence, “先到” and “如龙” are both amplification to make the sentence more neat and orderly in Chinese. Also the translator uses free translation to make the sentence more readable in Chinese. In this way, the translator achieves the goal of making the translation more acceptable for Chinese player.

(2)Translation Under Coherence Rule

The coherence rule means that there must be intra-textual coherence in the translation, that is to say, the target text should be readable and acceptable. It enables the recipient to understand and make sense in the culture of the target language and the communicative context in which the target text is used. Thus, the Chinese player usually make some nicknames for the champions in the game (champion is the character manipulated by the player in the game) to make it easy to read and accept for Chinese player (Gong Lei:2018). During the process of translation, the translator mostly takes the domestication strategy and uses the translation methods such as free translation, literal translation and so on.

Example 1:

Original version: the outlaw

Chinese version: 法外狂徒

Nick name: 男枪

The outlaw is the title of a male champion named Graves in the game (every champion own his title in the game, which is considered as another name of the champion)， he is a criminal with a big rifle. In Chinese version , official translators translate the title of Graves, the outlaw, into “法外狂徒” literally. However, for the sake of convenience, the Chinese players further simplify it into “男枪”, which means the man with a rifle. In this case, the players can also be considered as the translators, they just combinate the image of this champion and his gender, and use literal translation to get a nick name for this champion. In this way, the name of this champion is more easily to read and widely accepted by Chinese player. Example 2:

Original version: The Deceiver

Chinese version: 诡术妖姬

In the background story of the game, Leblanc is a beautiful lady and she is a great magician who likes to cheat other by her tricks, so she gets his title “The Deceiver”. In this case, the translator does not translate “The Deceiver” into “欺骗者” or “骗子” literally. Instead, the translator translates it into “诡术妖姬” in the way of free translation and amplification, which combinates the features and gender of this champion. In this way, “诡术妖姬”, obviously, is a better choice than “骗子” or “欺骗者”. Also, for Chinese, the title of four characters is usually more readable.

(3)Translation Under Fidelity Rule

The fidelity rule means that there must be inter-coherence between source text and target text, which is equal to the principle of faithfulness in other translation theories, that is to say, the translation must ground on the information given by the source text. Thus, during the process of translating the game, the translator uses various strategies to translate certain terms (Xin Yue: 2019). During the process of translation, the translator mostly takes the domestication strategy and uses the translation methods such as free translation, literal translation and so on.

Example 1:

Original version: Monkey King

Chinese version: 齐天大圣

In this example, the title of Monkey king belongs to the champion named Wu Kong, whose prototype is the monkey in the ancient Chinese novel, The Journey to the West. However, the translator does not just translate monkey king into “猴子王” literally, but translate it into “齐天大圣”, which conforms to the source text. Because almost all the Chinese know the story of Wu Kong and his title “齐天大圣”. In this way, based on the translation strategy of domestication and the translation method of free translation, the translator makes it more corresponding to the original text. So the author considers this version as a successful translation which obeys the fidelity rule.

Example 2:

Original version: The fist of Shadow

Chinese version: 暗影之拳

In this case, the translator just uses the literal translation to translate the title, also there is one point has to be mentioned. During the translation of the material, the translator uses literal translation in many places as long as there is correspondence between English and Chinese in that material. In this way, the translation obeys the fidelity rule.

Mistranslation in League of Legends

During the process of translating the material, though most of the translation is in accord with the Skopos theory. However, the author also finds there are some mistranslation from the perspective of Skopos theory.

(1)Mistranslation Against Skopos Rule

In the process of translation, it is inevitable to meet some material which is difficult to translate in the way conforming to the Skopos rule.

Example 1:

Original version: Minotaur

Chinese version：牛头酋长

In this example, originally, Minotaur is the monster with human’s body and the head of cow in Greek myth, however, in the Chinese version, the translators simply translate it into “牛头酋长”, which means the chieftain of cow. In this way, it violates the Skopos rule. Because according to the Skopos rule of the Skopos theory, the translator to translate the original text into the target language in a way that suits his purpose. In the process of translation of games, the purpose is to make the gamers experience the game in a more immersing way. That is to say, translators should take Chinese culture into consideration during the process of translation. However, the word “酋长” is rarely used in Chinese. So in this case, maybe “牛魔王” is a better choice. The first reason is that it has the same image with the champion in the game. The second reason is that Chinese players are familiar to this name.

Example 2:

Original version：The Lady of Clockwork

Chinese version: 发条魔灵

In this case, the author thinks the Chinese version is a kind of overtranslation, for here the translator translates “lady” into “魔灵”. However, “魔灵” is a word of western style and not usually seen in Chinese. In Chinese, the word “魂” usually be used to express the meaning of “灵”. Also, the translation does not show the gender of this champion. So here the author thinks “发条魔姬” may be a better version. In this version, both literal translation and amplification are used. “姬” is a Chinese style word which is equal to lady. In this way, it can be more easily accept by the Chinese players. And “魔” can show the essence of the champion.

(2)Mistranslation Against Coherence Rule

During the process of translating the game, the translators sometimes have to violate the coherence rule in order to cater to the Skopos rule or the fidelity rule.

Example 1:

Original version: The might of Demacia

Chinese version: 德玛西亚之力

In this case, the translator translates “The Might of Demacia” (Demacia is a city-state in the game) into “德玛西亚之力” in Chinese. That is a kind of literal translation, however, few names of place are longer than three words. “德玛西亚” may not be easy to read and accept by Chinese players. In this way, it violates the coherence rule. As a result of it, the players usually call it “德玛” for short. And there is a good example for the translation of the name of place. In this case, the city Piltover is called “皮城” in Chinese. Also, there is a title of a champion called The Seneschal of Demacia. Its Chinese version is “德邦总管”. According to these two example, it can be known that in the translation of the name of some place, the translator may take the initial as the first character of Chinese version, then use a word which is equal to the meaning of “city”, such as “城”、“邦”. It is a kind of free translation. In this case of “The Might of Demacia”, the authors takes “德邦” from the case of “德邦总管” and translate it into “德邦之力”. In this way, it is easier for the players to read and accept.

Example 2:

Original version: The Defender of Tomorrow

Chinese version: 未来守护者

In this case, the translator translates the defender of tomorrow into “未来守护者”. apparently, here the translator extends “tomorrow” to “future”. The author thinks here the translator does a great job and comprehends the champion in a good way. It is an indication of amplification and free translation. Because it is universally known that tomorrow can be comprehended as future. But the problem is that, usually, the Chinese titles of the champions in this game are made of four characters. Because it is more easily for Chinese player to read. So in this case, “未来” can be retained, it is a good free translation, but “守护者” should be changed into “守卫”, there is a title of four characters ,which is more readable for Chinese players. In this way, it is in accord with the coherence rule.

(3)Mistranslation Against Fidelity Rule

During the process of translating the game, the translators may have to violate the fidelity rule in order to obey the other two rules.

Example 1:

Original version: The Rabble Rouser

Chinese version: 酒桶

In this case, originally, the Rabble Rouser means the person who instigates the masses, however, in Chinese version, it is simply translated into “酒桶”, which means the man with a wine bucket, for the image of this champion in the game is a man with a wine bucket. But according to the background story of this champion, he is a reckless and impetuous drunker. So the author thinks the Chinese version does not obey the fidelity rule. It does not follow the original meaning of its English version. In this case, the author thinks “肇事酒徒” may be a better translation for the title of this champion. It does not only conform to the background story of this champion, but also fit his image.

Example 2:

Original version: The Hexplosive Expert

Chinese version: 爆破鬼才

In this case, the translator uses omission to translate this title, in this way it seems to be more readable for Chinese players. However, the translator dose not obey the fidelity rule here, because the translator just takes the word “Hexplosive” as “explosive”. Actually, “Explosive” is derived from Hex, which is a top science study in League of Legends, and the champion uses the “Hextech Engine” when making bombs, he is named after this. So the author thinks that the title should be translated in a literal way to obey the meaning of the original text. So the author’s version is “海克斯爆破专家”.

(3)Summary After analyzing the translation of the textual material of the game, it can be found that there are some places violating the Skopos Theory, but they are just a part of the translation of the whole game. One thing have to be admitted: there are many excellent translation in the game that cater to the taste of expectations of Chinese player. Also this is primary rule of Skopos theory.

Conclusion

Video game, known as the ninth art, is a booming and potential industry. As China's opening up and the e-sports industry thriving, the game market of China is expected to expand dramatically, but the demand for high-quality games also increases. As an crucial medium for domestic players to have better game experience, the quality of game translation has a direct influence on the players’ game experience (Qiao Dan:2020). However, because of the development of online games, traditional ways of game translation is not able to meet the requirements of players now. Skopos Theory focuses on the communicative purpose of translation, which offers a theoretical basis for the translator to use various ways to achieve the goals. The translator of the game should firstly figure out the role of the original text in the original context, then analyze the requirements and acceptance ability of the target recipients, and finally reproduce the meaning of the original text smoothly with words in line with the game style. In this thesis, the author analyzes the textual materials of lol from the prospect of Skopos theory. Through the analysis of the lines, titles and names of the champions of this game. The author finds that the translators of the game mostly take the domestication strategy, and use several translation methods such as transliteration, amplification, free translation and so on to achieve their goal—making this game more acceptable for Chinese players and helping the Chinese players have a better game experience. However, during the process of analysis, the author also finds that there are many mistranslation from the point view of Skopos theory. So the author analyzes the mistranslation and corrects the translation based on Skopos theory. After the analysis of the material, it can be seen that with the guidance of Skopos theory, translators can have specific rules to obey in order to achieve the goal and come out good translation. However, the related research in China is still very few, so the scholars should pay more attention to this field and make it a systematic discipline.

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Dai Jie代婕. 浅析跨文化交际翻译视角下的游戏翻译——以竞技游戏《英雄联盟》为例[J]. 现代交际，2019(02)：100-101.

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英语笔译 刘乐乐 Liu Lele 202170081584

The Transmission of Chinese Folk Art

Introduction

There is no superior culture, but there are strong and weak ones. According to Toury's multiple systems theory, Chinese culture is relatively weak compared with British and American culture. Chinese literature has been marginalized in the world literature system for a long time, so when entering the field of English literature, it is usually dominated in the field of English literature. In the past few decades, the translation of contemporary Chinese literature to the English world has not been very successful. Readers in the English-speaking world object to translated literature from any culture, and it is very difficult for translated literature to enter the English world. Although there were two large-scale translation and introduction activities of Panda Series and Great China Library with a lot of material and human resources invested, but the result was not ideal. Although Dragon Raja, as an online literature, can not represent Chinese culture, its exciting plot and low barrier of readers would make it a good guide in achieving the "go global" strategy. Both Harry Potter and Dragon Raja are a series of fantasy novels that have achieved great success, and both their main characters Harry Potter, Lu Mingfei and their storyline shares many similarities. One is popular across the world, and one is popular in China. So when translating Dragon Raja into English, we can learn many useful words, expressions and sentence patterns from Harry Potter.===Subtitle1===

Similarities

2.1 A Special Academy There is a special academy in both Harry Potter and Dragon, the Hogwarts College in Harry Potter and Kassel College in Dragon Raja, which are places where the main characters learn corresponding knowledge. Both colleges are extremely special. Hogwarts is about magic, kassel is about dragons, and both colleges are different from real universities. Neither college is known to the general public, and both have some mysteries.

In "Harry Potter" the headmaster of Hogwarts Dumbledore is a very powerful wizard, numerous honors, proficient in all kinds of high order magic, and is also the backbone of Hogwarts and even the whole magic community. In The Dragon Clan, The principal of Kassel Academy, Anger, is also a powerful dragon slayer. Kassel Academy, with Anger as its seat, has a great say in the mixed-race society. Both headmasters act as guides for the main characters in their respective works. Dumbledore loves Harry very much, while Angers loves Lummingfield even more than his pocketknife.

Both works depict a grand worldview that is different from the real world. Harry Potter describes an imaginary magical world in which all sorts of magical things are fascinating. Dragons also portrays the magical world of the dragon clan, attracting many fans with its whimsical ideas about various characters and historical events.

Neither Harry nor Lu Mingfei, who played the leading role in "Harry Potter" nor "Dragon", was the best in the academy. In Harry Potter, Harry is not good either in actual combat ability or in school, while Lu Mingfei is a famous diaos in Dragon clan. But they both have extraordinary fates, Harry is the chosen one, and Lumingfei is also the key to ending the history of the dragon race.

In both books, there is a special race that has special abilities that ordinary people do not have. Magic in Harry Potter and speech and Spirit in Dragons are both powerful special abilities. Those who possess these special abilities are divided between wizards and hybrids. Wizards and hybrids are difficult groups for ordinary people to reach, and they don't want them to.

Before entering the academy, both Lumingfield and Harry stayed in their uncle's house, and neither of them was very popular. Both grew up in very similar environments, with few friends and often being bullied. Both men met their best friends after attending special schools. Harry meets Hermione and Ron on the train to Hogwarts, and Lummingfield meets Fingal at the station.

Application

Since the two novels share many similarities, when translating Dragon Raja, we can learn some useful words, expressions from Harry Potter.

1.The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. 德思礼夫妇有一个小儿子，名叫达力。在他们看来，人世间没有比达力更好的孩子了。 婶婶觉得路鸣泽聪明，好读书，求上进，还特热爱文学，路鸣泽看《小说绘》在婶婶的嘴里也是“我们家鸣泽在学习”。 In Mrs. Lu’s opinion, her son Lu Mingze was smart and diligent with enthusiasm in literature. Even when Lu Mingze read Fiction and Draw, she thought he was doing some serious work.

Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up? If Harry hadn’t known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so... 这也许是杜斯礼一家搞的恶作剧？

也许“夕阳的刻痕”的真实身份给路鸣泽发觉了？路鸣泽想办法报复他玩呢？ Might this not all be some huge prank that Lu Mingze cooked up since he found out about the secret of “sunset”? When receiving the letter from their respective special college, Harry and Lu Mingfei both showed confusion and doubt.

References

[1]封寿炎.中国网文何以成为海外读者新宠[J].上海采风,2019(03):96. [2]李佳欣,余堃贤.美国主流电影十年回顾（2010—2019）[J].北京电影学院学报,2021(06):105-118. [3]刘毅.《射雕英雄传》在西方的译介传播:行动者网络、译者惯习与翻译策略[J].解放军外国语学院学报,2021,44(02):58-65+159-160. [4]傅西平.美国市场翻译图书生存状态[J].出版参考,2015(16):18-20. [5]陈梦媛,石金娟,张诚玉.从《龙族》热看传统奇幻文学的可行性传播[J].今古文创,2022(03):29-31. [6]刘闽峰.论《龙族》与文学市场需求的契合性[J].品位·经典,2021(22):9-13. [7]Munday Jeremy. Introducing Translation Studies:Theories and Applications[M].Taylor and Francis:2016-02-05.

英语笔译 刘双英 Liu Shuangying 202170081585

The Transmission of Chinese Folk Art

Introduction

China has a long history and culture of the Chinese nation for five thousand years, resulting in a lot of folk art. They are rich and colorful, diverse in content, with a strong nationalist color, thus demonstrating the long history and profound culture of our Chinese folk art. However, with the rise of the era of large-scale industrialization, a lot of mechanized production has replaced the original manual production, and some traditional production techniques and traditional artistic creation have been gradually lost. How to protect the inheritance of Chinese folk art is a problem that we will think about. Today, in the new era, how to protect the development of Chinese folk art is an important link in the sustainable development of Chinese traditional art. China is a multi-ethnic country, and each nation has its own cultural characteristics and cultural characteristics. National culture needs time baptism and historical development, so thousands of years of history and culture is very precious. We should not only pay attention to the protection of traditional folk art. Moreover, we should carry forward and inherit our folk art and culture. We should get more people to know them.

英语笔译 刘婷 Liu Ting 202170081586

Translation and Dissemination of Chinese Contemporary Science Fiction Liu Ting

Abstract

Science fiction, Sci-fi for short, is defined as a novel that makes reasonable assumptions on the basis of respecting scientific conclusions. Chinese science fiction originated from the West and came into being under the influence and inspiration of translation. The translation of science fiction in China dates back to the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. Since the beginning of the new century, many translated Chinese science fictions have been recognized by the international science fiction community, winning many awards such as the Hugo Award. Therefore, its translation and dissemination has become a phenomenon worthy of attention. However, in the field of translation studies, research on Chinese science fiction translation and dissemination is still insufficient. Therefore, this paper aims to study and analyze the contents, subjects and reception of contemporary Chinese science fiction translation and dissemination, summarize the problems involved, and look into the future, hoping that more attention could be paid to its translation and dissemination, so as to promote Chinese science fiction to go global.

Key words

Chinese science fiction, translation, dissemination, go global

Introduction

Science fiction originated from the Industrial Revolution in the West, and is a reflection of the development of technology and the demand of human beings to understand and transform nature in the field of literature and art. Science fiction is a product of the advent of the scientific century, a necessary reflection of the spiritual civilization after the integration of science and technology and the promotion of industrialization, a new and novel cultural phenomenon worthy of study and attention. It is generally believed that in 1818, Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" pioneered science fiction.

The translation of science fiction follows the general rule of translating to convey the meaning of works, transmits the bizarre and transcendental storyline, reflects the narrative content and artistic value of the original text in translation, and generates a unique science fiction reading effect, so that the artistic connotation and expression value of science fiction can be reflected and extended in the language and culture of the translator through the reading and appreciation of the translated text, and continues to play its role of entertaining and influencing readers. This allows the artistic connotation and expressive value of foreign science fiction to be reflected and extended in the language and culture of the translator's country through the reading and appreciation of the translated text, and to continue to play its equivalent role of entertaining and influencing readers, thus releasing its scientific and cultural educational function.

Chinese science fiction has a history of more than 100 years. The translation of science fiction has not only provided sustenance for Chinese science fiction literature, but also witnessed the development of local science fiction literature from its infancy to its development. In recent years, the publication of Liu Cixin's trilogy, "The Three-Body Problem", has become a landmark event in the Chinese science fiction industry, attracting not only strong reactions in China, but also great interest from foreign readers and enthusiastic reviews and praise from professional critics. Since then, Chinese science fiction novels have been translated into the Western world and have frequently won international science fiction awards, becoming a thriving part of Chinese culture that has "gone global".

Nowadays, the competition between different countries in different fields has become more and more intense and complex. Cultural communication and development is always one of the hot topics. The universal and contemporary nature of Chinese science fiction literature has positive significance for the construction of Chinese cultural image. However, in the field of translation research, there is still much room for research on science fiction translation, and there is a particular lack of systematic research on foreign translation of Chinese science fiction works. Therefore, this paper will provide an overview and analysis of the research on foreign translation of Chinese science fiction literature on the basis of the basic situation of foreign translation of local science fiction novels, in order to provide some reference for the "going global" of Chinese science fiction literature and the translation of Chinese science fiction literature.

Chinese Science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction or Sci-fic is a literary genre that originated in the West in modern times. which is based on scientific conclusions and reasonable assumptions. It is a form of fantasy that represents the material, spiritual and cultural life of human beings in the future world and the vision of science and technology. It is generally believed that a good science fiction novel must have three elements: "logical self-consistency", "scientific elements" and "humanistic thinking".

Science fiction originated in the West and is a literary genre that emerged with the booming development of science and technology in modern times. It is generally believed that Mary Shelley was the first to introduce science fiction elements into the creation of novels. Her "Frankenstein", published in 1818, is considered by many critics and enthusiasts to be “the world's first science fiction novel”. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were two important European novelists: Jules Verne (French) and Herbert George Wells (English). The former is known as the "father of science fiction", and "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "The Mysterious Island" and "Captain Grant's Daughter" are his representative works. What is unique about Verne is that his novels show an unprecedented spirit of "scientific optimism," that is, the belief that "thanks to the development of science and technology, nothing is impossible," or that "with science the world will be more exciting in the future. The world of the future will be more exciting with science." The British author Wells pointed out all the paths that future generations of science fiction writers could continue to explore. His masterpieces include "The Time Machine", "The First Man on the Moon" and "When the Sleeper Wakes". Wells himself was also a prominent social activist who was critical of the capitalist system and always held the political view that "capitalism will lead to disaster". His works always allude to the society and politics of the time through a fantasy society. His works as a whole are full of concern for the future fate of human society, and both he and his works had an important impact on the social system and morality of the time. After the Second World War, science fiction took root in the United States. A pioneering figure in American science fiction was Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of the famous series of adventure novels, Tarzan of the Apes. American science fiction inherited the same kind of stylistic tradition as Wells, and became mainstream popular literature along with fantasy and adventure stories.

As science fiction continued to develop, many movies based on science fiction have been produced, which have more profoundly influenced the entertainment life and way of thinking of modern human society.

The science fiction community has also established many prestigious awards, such as the Hugo Award (which honors Hugo Gainsbourg, the founder of the first American science fiction magazine), the Nebula Award (the most prestigious award among science fiction awards), the Galaxy Award (the highest honor in Chinese fantasy fiction), and so on.

1.2 Origin and Development of Chinese Science Fiction

As a product of industrial civilization, science fiction is the only literary genre that has never existed in traditional Chinese literature (c.f: Han Song 2010, 28). Western science fiction was introduced to China through translation, beginning in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, more than a hundred years ago. At that time, Western science and technology was developing rapidly, and it aroused the curiosity of the Chinese. Far-sighted individuals understood that the idea of science fiction was like a reflection on the backward economic, political, and technological system of society, and that it could lead us into a better future; otherwise the country would be impoverished and weak, and the massive popularity of science and technology was what China needed at that time, and this need was based on imagination. The fatal weakness of Chinese science and technology at that time was precisely the fear of imagination.

From the initiative to translate and study science fiction, to the creation and feeding of science fiction, the development of Chinese science fiction over the past hundred years can be roughly divided into four periods.

The first stage is the period from 1900 to 1919, the rise of science fiction translation, when Chinese science fiction was born. In the late Qing Dynasty, science fiction entered China with the Western scientific and cultural trend. According to the data, the first science fiction translation was French novelist Jules Verne's classic "Around the World in Eighty Days" (then titled《八十日环游记》in Chinese translation) (c.f: Guo Yanli 1998, 168). Since then, science fiction literature began to take root in China, spreading and introducing advanced Western scientific knowledge through fantastical storylines in the form of novels, and attracting the attention of advanced intellectuals. According to current data, the first two writers who began to advocate science fiction in China were Liang Qichao and Zhou Shuren, who in 1902 opened a column on "Philosophical and Scientific Fiction" in his own magazine, New Novel. The following year, Zhou Shuren translated Verne's novel "From the Earth to the Moon" and wrote a preface to it. From 1900 to 1919, more than 40 Western science fiction novels were translated into Chinese and introduced to the Chinese public (c.f: Jiang Qian 2007, 227)

The early translations of Western science fiction directly contributed to the birth of the new genre of Chinese science fiction. In 1904, the author whose pen name was 荒江钓叟 influenced by "Five Weeks in the Balloon" and wrote "The Moon Colony", one of the earliest science fiction novels in China. In 1905, Xu Nianci published "The New Mr. Fallo Tan", which was actually a sequel to the German "Mr. Fallo Tan". Science fiction in this initial stage was created with the same purpose as translation, and fantasy was more closely integrated with reality, that is, with the theme of saving the country, hoping to save China in distress by spreading the knowledge of natural science.

The second stage, from the early days of the founding of the PRC to the Cultural Revolution, was a new era of science fiction translation and creation. After the liberation, influenced by the political environment, Soviet science fiction became the main source of science fiction translations. Due to the political and ideological need for translation prosperity, the standardization of language and translation was also gradually improved. Science fiction translations in this period increased fidelity to the original text while taking into account readability, mainly adopting a combination of literal and free translation strategies, preserving the stylistic quality of the original text without limiting the syntax and sequence of the original text, and adding new footnotes to help Chinese readers understand. Influenced by Soviet science fiction, science fiction writers of this period had a consistent and clear goal: to convey as much scientific knowledge as possible to young people and children through science fiction, and to portray the bright future of the socialist country, so that young readers would be filled with hope and aspirations for the future of the motherland. "From Earth to Mars", written by Zheng Wenguang in 1954, was the first true science fiction novel in the history of New China. Zheng's work represents the overall characteristics of Chinese science fiction writing in the same period, that is, a distinctive sense of science popularization and children's literature, directly serving the popularization of science.

The third stage was from the end of Cultural Revolution in 1976 to the Ideological Rectification Movement in 1983, a brief spring of science fiction translation and creation. The development of science and technology in the country provided a good support for the development of science fiction. During this period, a large number of science fiction journals emerged, such as "Science Fiction World", which was founded in 1979, and "Science Fiction Ocean", which was created in 1981. In the early 1980s, the creation of Chinese science fiction reached an unprecedented boom, and science fiction frequently appeared in important literary journals such as People's Literature, Beijing Literature, Shanghai Literature, Contemporary Times, and Novel World, And Ye Yonglie, Zheng Wenguang, Tong Enzheng, and Liu Xingshi were called the "four great masters" of Chinese science fiction (c.f: Kong Qingdong 2003, 42). In 1980, Ye Yonglie was elected as the only director of the World Science Fiction Federation (WSF) in Asia, which was the first time for Chinese science fiction to go global. Zheng Wenguang's The Flight to Sagittarius was the first full-length science fiction novel in China. Tong Enzheng's Dead Light on Coral Island was published in People's Literature in 1978, the first time a science fiction novel was published in China's highest literary journal.

The fourth stage, from the 21st century to the present, is the feeding of Chinese science fiction into world science fiction. (c.f: Wang Xueming, Liu Yi 2015, 30). Entering into the 21st century, with the advent of globalization and the era of all-media, and the increasing exchanges between China and the international community, science fiction translation has entered a new era. A large number of excellent science fiction writers emerged in this period, such as Liu Cixin, Hao Jingfang, Han Song, and so on. It also witnessed the birth of many excellent works, such as Liu Cixin's "Wandering Earth", "The Three-Body Problem", and "Supernova Era", Hao Jingfang's "Beijing Folding", Han Song's "High Speed Rail", and "Subway". After the 21st century, the number of Chinese science fiction translated into other languages has increased dramatically, proving the great potential of Chinese science fiction development.

2. Status of Translation and Dissemination of Chinese Science Fiction

The overseas export of Chinese original science fiction novels has a long history. The earliest record that can be found now is the translation of Lao She's long science fiction novel "The Tale of the Cat City" by James E. Dew into English in 1964. However, in the first three stages, the translation of Chinese science fiction was fragmented and did not form a scale. From 2000 to 2020, the number of English translations of Chinese science fiction (including only the first publication) totaled 214 titles, including 10 full-length novels and 204 short and medium-length novels. (c.f: Gao Xi 2021, 58). In November 2014, Tor Books, one of the world's leading publishers of authoritative science fiction literature, published the first book of The three-body Problem, translated by Chinese-American science fiction writer Liu Yuqun, which subsequently won the Hugo Award. 2016, Hao Jingfang's In 2016, Hao Jingfang's Folding Beijing won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story.

From 2015 to 2020, there will be a large increase in the number of translations of long novels, including Liu Cixin's "The Dark Forest" (2015), "Death's End" (2016), "Ball Lightning" (2018), "Supernova Era" (2019), "Of Ants and Dinosaurs" (2020), Wang Jinkang's "Fourth Degree Panic" (2016), Chen Tulufan's "Waste Tide" (2019), Baoshu's "The Redemption of Time" (2019), and Hao Jingfang's "Vagabonds" (2020). Four short and medium-length science fiction novels from this period were published in the form of multi-person collections, including "Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation" (2016) and "Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation" (2016), edited by Liu Yukun. There are three personal collections, including "To Hold Up the Sky" (2020) of Liu Cixin’s works, Han Song's "A Primer to Han Song" (2020) and Xia Jia's "A Summer Beyond Your Reach" (2020). The publishers of Chinese full-length science fiction and fiction collections include Tol Publishing, Head of Zeus Publishing, Saga Press, Wyrm Publishing, Dark Moon Books, Amazon Crossing, and Columbia University Press, of which the first two account for the majority. With the growing public interest in Chinese science fiction, these British and American publishers have seen the market potential of Chinese science fiction and have taken the initiative to bring outstanding Chinese science fiction works to the English-speaking world.

Since the 21st century, China has surpassed Japan to become the world's second largest economy in the world, and its influence in international affairs has been growing. The English-speaking world, led by the United States, wants to understand the rising of China and literature has become a more appropriate path. Specifically in the category of science fiction.

And there are three influential factors in the boom of Chinese science fiction in translation and dissemination that cannot be ignored.

In terms of Chinese science fiction itself, the quality of the original works and translations is excellent. This is the basis for the successful entry of Chinese science fiction into the English-speaking world, and it is also the basis for the "going abroad" of Chinese science fiction. While the main reason is that the western countries are becoming more open to Chinese science fiction. The important opportunity for the translation and dissemination is the increasingly frequent exchanges between the Chinese and foreign science fiction communities. In addition, China actively supports the creation of science fiction and the "going abroad" of Chinese culture at the national level especially after Liu Cixin and Hao Jingfang received awards, the science fiction boom continued to ferment, and local Chinese publishers and local publishers and science fiction culture enterprises have taken advantage of the favorable policies to actively expand their overseas overseas businesses and explore effective export models.

Currents Problems in Translation and Dissemination

Since the 21st century, there has been a boom in foreign translations of Chinese science fiction, and Chinese science fiction works have been translated into various languages at an unprecedented speed and scale, becoming a new calling card for Chinese literature “to go global".

The rapid development and continuous innovation of Chinese science fiction, as well as the attention and recognition of the world science fiction literature community towards Chinese science fiction, have pushed this literary category to gradually escape its own long-standing marginalization and begin to move closer to the center of literature. But while Chinese science fiction and translation are flourishing, we must also look at the problems that exist. Only by overcoming these problems can Chinese science fiction "go global" achieve further success.

First, although science fiction literature is increasingly moving to the "center" of literature, the creation of science fiction literature and the boom generated by its research have not generated the same interest and attention in the field of translation studies. Professor Guo Jianzhong's "Science Fiction and Science Fiction Translation: Theory, Techniques and Practice" is a must-read for anyone involved in science fiction translation and research. He was instrumental in establishing China's first "Institute of Science Fiction Literature" in the Department of Foreign Languages at Hangzhou University, but the Institute did not exist for long and its impact as a research unit was limited. Dr. Jiang Qian's doctoral dissertation, "Fantasy and Reality: Twentieth-Century Science Fiction in China" (2006), focuses on the translation and reception of twentieth-century science fiction in China, with a macro-historical overview and a micro-analysis of typical science fiction works from different periods, revealing the delicate interaction between translation and history and society in the process of translation. Apart from the above two monographs, most of them are fragmentary research papers. The lack of research on the translation of Chinese science fiction will not allow scholars to understand the new trends and characteristics of translation, and the lack of theoretical guidance will lead to the lack of good translation works.

Secondly, from the perspective of translation subjects. The subject of translation refers to "who" translates, and it is the problem of the translator that is explored. The most important issue in the foreign translation of Chinese science fiction is the quality of the translation. It is true that there are many excellent science fiction writers in China who have created a large number of excellent works, but there are not many excellent translations. The translation is an important medium for Chinese science fiction to go out, and without excellent translations, the excellent works will only be left in the dust. The reason for this is the lack of science fiction translation talents. Nowadays, the main translators of Chinese full-length science fiction novels are Liu Yu Kun and Zhou Hua. The former is known as "the first person to translate Chinese science fiction into English", and his first translation, The Fish of Lijiang, won the World Science Fiction and Fantasy Translation Award in 2012. His translations of The Three Bodies and The Beijing Fold have won successive Hugo Awards, and his translations have been instrumental in winning the Hugo Awards in the competition for original works in foreign languages. As a native English speaker who has lived in China for many years, Zhou Hua is well versed in Chinese language and culture. He not only translates science fiction, but also pure literature and non-literary works, and his translation skills should not be underestimated. On Amazon.com, the vast majority of readers have positively evaluated the translations by Yuquan Liu and Hua Zhou, saying that the translations are fluent without losing fidelity and readable, while retaining Chinese cultural characteristics well. Therefore, attention should be paid to the cultivation of science fiction translation talents, without which the world will not be able to know the real status of Chinese science fiction.

In addition, from the perspective of the translation route. The translation route explores the issue of how to promote and disseminate works. The foreign translation of Chinese science fiction lacks a complete industrial chain. "The Three-Body Problem" is a successful example of China's science fiction "going out". In 2014, the first English translation of "The Three-Body Problem" was published in the United States by the American publisher Tor Books. Founded in 1980, the publisher is the world's largest publisher of fantasy literature and a dream publisher for the world's top science fiction writers. Second, when the English translation of "The Three-Body Problem" was published in the United States, it was promoted in major media. The New York Times, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly and other mainstream newspapers and magazines all promoted and reported on it. Compared with American science fiction, Chinese science fiction has not been marketed enough. American science fiction has formed a complete industry chain from periodicals to books to films and games, and a large number of science fiction novels and films based on them have been translated and introduced to other countries with great momentum, while the Chinese science fiction market is still a long way from it. Therefore, we should continue to explore a complete, mature and diversified science fiction industry chain, so as to provide a constant impetus for science fiction translation.

Finally, from the perspective of the translation audience. The audience of translation refers to the question of "who is the reader". As the mainstream ideology, the national culture of the English-speaking world has swept the world with a strong export attitude, and its people also use its mainstream culture as the value standard to examine the culture and literature of other countries. Therefore, in the process of Chinese literature dissemination to foreign countries, there is a problem of inequality between the weak culture and the strong culture. The proportion of translated literature in Western countries is extremely small. China has made active efforts to promote the foreign dissemination of Chinese culture, but if China does not make efforts to explore the best way to communicate with foreign audiences, the utility will only be half the effort. It should be said that in the process of going global, Chinese literature must understand the translation audience and adjust the translation behavior according to the needs of the translation audience in order to achieve better translation results.

Considering the above-mentioned problems, we should look for positive strategies to deal with them, so as to promote the dissemination of Chinese science fiction in the global arena. However, we should pay the most attention to good original works and translations. "Wine is not afraid of a deep alley", and good translations can help science fiction works to spread better in other countries.

Conclusion

At present, the translation of Chinese science fiction in the English-speaking world is getting better and better, and it has become an important vein of Chinese literature "going out". We should actively use the existing achievements and resources to bring into play the unique advantages of science fiction translation. On the one hand, we should insist on the commercialization of Chinese science fiction literature translation. Relevant enterprises should take advantage of their knowledge of domestic science fiction resources, cooperate with publishers such as Tor Books, and use their mature distribution channels to market their translations. Through these mainstream science fiction magazines and commercial publishers, Chinese science fiction has really come closer to the mass English readers, and even once became a hot topic in the translation-into-language society. On the other hand, according to the characteristics of the writers' works, we adopt suitable translation methods. For writers with high recognition in the English-speaking world, such as Liu Cixin and Chen Lvfan, long novels and individual collections are published; while for new writers or writers at the initial stage of translation, we mainly start with short and medium stories, and gradually cultivate readers' interest in the writers' works through science fiction magazines and multi-person collections.

At the same time, we should pay attention to the problems in the translation process and make timely adjustments to ensure the sustainable and stable export of Chinese science fiction to the outside world. First, we should pay attention to the balance and representativeness of translated works. We should not translate only one writer's works just because he is particularly popular in overseas markets, but should select works suitable for translation according to readers' preferences, translate and introduce more excellent works of different writers. We should pay attention to the sustainability of science fiction literature and industry development. The prosperity of science fiction English translation is fundamentally dependent on the continuous development of Chinese science fiction literature and industry. Both creation and film and television adaptations require sustained policy support and financial investment. The government should clarify the value of science fiction literature and help the long-term development of science fiction industry. In the process of translation and mediation, it should pay attention to and foster local Chinese publishing houses and science fiction culture companies, and reward all kinds of overseas promoters engaged in translation, publishing, criticism, and research work. Only if the literary, translation and publishing communities form a synergy, can Chinese science fiction stand in the world's forest of science fiction.

References

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[2] 姜倩. 幻想与现实：二十世纪科幻小说在中国的译介[D].复旦大学,2006.

[3] 黄唯唯.《三体》的英译研究——让中国式科幻走向世界[J].湖北第二师范学院学报,2016,33(09):125-128.

[4] 孔庆东.中国科幻小说概说[J].涪陵师范学院学报,2003(03):37-45.

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Terms and Expressions

Science Fiction 科幻小说

Late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China 晚清民初

The Hugo Award 雨果奖

Scientific elements 科学元素

Humanistic thinking 人本思维；人道主义思想

Translation subject 翻译主体

The Three-Body Problem 三体

Folding Beijing 北京折叠

Marginalization 边缘化

Publishing house 出版社

Mainstream culture 主流文化

Questions

1. What is considered by many critics and enthusiasts to be “the world's first science fiction novel”.

2. What is the first true science fiction novel in the history of New China.

3. In 2014, the first English translation of "The Three-Body Problem" was published in the United States by which publishing house?

Answers

1. "Frankenstein"

2. "From Earth to Mars"

3. Tor Books.

英语笔译 刘瑶 Liu Yao 202170081587

On the Transmission of Contemporary Chinese Literature in English-speaking Countries: A Case Study of Red Sorghum 刘瑶 Liu Yao

Abstract

In the globalization pattern of cultural pluralism and coexistence, it is the top priority of cultural construction and reform to enhance the global influence of Chinese culture and spread and promote Chinese culture to the world. It is our goal to promote Chinese culture to go global, and the translation of Chinese literature into foreign languages is an important means to achieve this goal. However, this process is not always smooth, and as the process of "going global" in China is hindered, people gradually realize that many factors other than the act of translation are affecting the "going global" of Chinese culture.

Mo Yan is a leading figure in contemporary Chinese literature, and after winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, the attention and sales of his works abroad have increased dramatically. At a time when translations of Chinese contemporary literature have repeatedly suffered setbacks, the successful translation of Mo Yan's novels has sounded the trumpet of victory. This paper analyzes the importance, current situation and reasons for the "going global" of contemporary literature with reference to Andre Lefevere's theory of "three elements" (patronage, ideology and poetics), and studies the successful translation of Mo Yan's masterpiece Red Sorghum overseas. The study of the successful translation of Red Sorghum overseas, and the exploration of the effective translation mode of contemporary literature in China, are hoping to contribute to Chinese contemporary literature's going global.

Key words

contemporary Chinese literature; transmission; Red Sorghum

Introduction

With the further development of globalization, it is no longer a pure economic phenomenon. What accompanies economic globalization is political globalization and the exchange, collision and integration of "soft power" with cultural ideas, ideologies and values as its basic connotation across national borders. Culture is an important symbol of a country's soft power and plays an increasingly prominent role in the competition for comprehensive national power. The globalization of cultural communication has become a social reality that cannot be ignored. (Xu Wen 2013: 96) Different countries, nationalities and cultures want to communicate with each other, so that cultural communication can break through the original national boundaries and geographical restrictions, and eventually get out of the narrow and prejudiced national culture and gain recognition in the global scope.

The "going global" of Chinese culture has been elevated to a national strategic level, and the translation of contemporary Chinese literature, as an important carrier of culture, has assumed the primary task. However, it must be admitted that Chinese literature in general is still in a marginal position in the field of world literature. From the overall situation of translation and dissemination of Chinese contemporary literature, the problems of poor quality of translation, few number of publications, and low overseas acceptance are very prominent. According to statistics, during the nearly 110 years from the beginning of 1900s to the beginning of 2000s, China translated and introduced about 100,000 Western books, while the West introduced less than 500 Chinese books. In recent years, China has introduced about 150 American books in a year, while the United States has imported less than 10 Chinese literary works. (Bao Xiaoying 2015: 80) There is an obvious imbalance between the export and import of literature. Thus, it is clear that there is a long way to go for Chinese contemporary literature to "go global". 

On October 11, 2012, Mo Yan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first Chinese writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Since then, the popularity of contemporary Chinese literature in the world literary scene has increased dramatically, more readers from abroad have begun to pay attention to the works of contemporary Chinese writers, and the attention of overseas academic circles has also begun to focus on Chinese literature. This has offered a good opportunity for Chinese contemporary literature to go global, and also put forward new ideas for the study of translation and dissemination of Chinese contemporary literature overseas.

Since 1988, Mo Yan’s works have been translated into English, French, Spanish, German, Swedish, Russian, Japanese and other languages. As Mo Yan’s masterpiece, Red Sorghum was earlier translated and introduced to other countries, and is also the most translated and reprinted Mo Yan’s work. At the same time, as the first novel to be translated overseas and immediately gain acclaim and access to Western commercial channels, Red Sorghum has set a model for the translation and transmission of contemporary Chinese literature.

This paper takes Howard Goldblatt's translation of Red Sorghum as a case study to examine the overseas transmission and acceptance of this translation on the basis of previous studies, so as to provide some inspiration for the transmission of contemporary Chinese literature. Due to the limitations of language, this paper will only talk about the translation and transmission of contemporary Chinese literature in English-speaking countries.

The Importance of Contemporary Chinese Literature Going Global

Culture has always been an important factor affecting national competitiveness. All major countries in the world have made the improvement of their culture an important national development strategy. Every country, nation and culture wants to exchange with each other, so that their culture can break through the original national boundaries and geographical restrictions and achieve a wider and deeper dissemination. At present, "Chinese literature going global" is flourishing, and the translation of Chinese literature has become an important part of spreading Chinese culture (Bao Xiaoying 2013: 62). Since the 21st century, China has devoted itself to the translation and interpretation of Chinese literature, and has launched a series of publication projects on the translation and dissemination of Chinese literature. At the same time, many journals of Chinese literature in English translation have been established to promote contemporary Chinese literature to the English-speaking world (Yu Hong 2021: 112).

Culture is an important symbol of a country's "soft power" and a symbol of its influence and cohesion. Culture as a soft power plays an increasingly prominent role in the competition for comprehensive national power. Culture has always been an important factor in national competitiveness. Having a strong "cultural soft power" means being able to win the initiative in the fierce international competition. Without cultural soft power, a country has no connotation, no support, and cannot become a real major country.

The strategy of "going global" of Chinese culture was first proposed in the mid-1990s. The "going global" strategy is a major initiative in the new stage of opening up to the outside world. Since then, the "going global" strategy has been expanded from the economic field to the cultural field, and relevant documents have been issued one after another.

Chinese culture "going global" has two basic meanings: First, it is the dissemination of Chinese cultural ideas and cultural forms to the world through cultural exchange. Second, it refers to the export of cultural products and services in international trade (Xiao Yingying 2012: 84). Compared with developed countries in the West, China has a serious "cognitive deficit" in cultural trade, from ideas, cultural symbols to cultural products, and many countries still have a fragmented, one-sided and superficial understanding of Chinese culture. China's economy is growing, but it is still in a weak position in terms of cultural soft power, such as cultural communication and influence, and cultural weakness, which can only be solved by developing cultural industries and communicating with other cultures (Bao Xiaoying 2014: 7).

Communication is the nature of culture, through which different cultures can be perceived. In today's globalization, cross-cultural communication affects people's thought and behavior from different aspects. Translation has always played a very important role in the process of intercultural communication. Translation is not only the conversion of language, but also the transmission of culture. Translation can spread new ideas, new concepts and new technologies, promote cultural exchange and progress, as well as promoting the common development of different cultures. Throughout the history of Chinese and foreign cultures, it is evident that translation has played a great role in spreading cultures in the world. Translation has greatly enriched the exchange and dissemination of Chinese and foreign ideas.

Above all, translation bridges the language barrier between different cultural societies, contributes to the exchange and interaction of cultural information with other countries, facilitates the common development of national cultures, and promotes the sharing of human civilization. "The development within a country and the establishment of its international status depend largely on cultural soft power, and cultural soft power, whether imported or exported, is, in our opinion, first and foremost a translation issue." (Xu Jun 2012: 12) The current strategy of "going global" of Chinese culture advocated by the Chinese government is, in a small way, to export our "cultural soft power" through the power of "translation", and in a larger way, to enhance China's "international status" (Hu Anjiang 2012: 56).

The translation, publication and dissemination of Chinese literature have become an important part of China's cultural outreach. The world needs to observe China through Chinese literature, and China needs to show its true image through literature. Without the role of translation as a medium and without the outreach of translated texts, the outreach of Chinese culture will only be empty talk. It has always been the goal of the country to promote the "going global" of Chinese culture through the translation of Chinese classics (Bao Xiaoying 2013: 54).

Transmission of Contemporary Chinese Literature in English-speaking Countries

The history of contemporary Chinese literature in English-speaking countries can be roughly divided into four stages: the “Seventeen Years” (1949-1965) at the beginning of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the “Cultural Revolution”(1966-1976), the new period (1977-1999) and the new century (2000-present) (Wan Yu 2021: 220).

In the first stage, China had fewer exchanges with English-speaking countries due to political-ideological conflicts. As a result, relatively few foreign-led publications of contemporary Chinese literature were published during this phase. In the first stage, contemporary Chinese literature translated to English-speaking countries focused more on social and political aspects than on literary aspects.

In the second stage, due to the influence of the Cultural Revolution, the translation activities of Chinese literature dominated by China decreased. Compared with the first stage, except for the selection of materials that glorified the revolution and took the working and peasant classes as the main characters in the early period of the founding of the PRC, the domestic publishing institutions were more strict about the themes of translated works during the Cultural Revolution. During this period, more works related to revolution and reflecting class struggle came to the English-speaking countries.

In the third stage, with the gradual liberation of thought, “scar literature”, the most popular literary theme after the Cultural Revolution, received domestic and international attention and became the focus of translation in the late 1970s and early 1980s. However, it gradually declined in the late 1980s. The official translation focus in China shifted first, and some works of the pioneering writers were translated to the English-speaking world earlier than the European and American editors. However, domestic translation and publishing institutions didn't pay much attention to writers such as Yu Hua and Su Tong, who were of great interest to the English-speaking world. Meanwhile, the proportion of works by Hong Kong and Taiwan has increased in the translation of contemporary Chinese literature under the domination of the West and China, and the translation of contemporary Chinese women writers has also reached a peak.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the translation of contemporary Chinese literature has gradually become prosperous, and the mode of translation in China has also undergone significant changes. There are two major changes in the official-led mode of Chinese literature translation and introduction at this stage: first, in terms of translation selection, the translated works are more literary than publicity; second, in terms of publication, more attention is paid to the commerciality of the translated works, focusing on exchanges and cooperation with overseas booksellers and markets. The English-speaking world, Hong Kong and Taiwan have also become more diversified in their translations of contemporary Chinese literature, beginning to focus on popular literature, new literary forms and new writers.

Since Mo Yan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, a large amount of Chinese literature, represented by his works, has been translated into the United States and other parts of the world. However, data show that translated works account for only 3% of the total number of publications in the United States, of which less than 1% are literary translations, indicating that the American public does not have an urgent and strong intrinsic need for foreign literature and culture (Xie Tianzhen 2019: 95).

The Successful Transmission of Red Sorghum

Brief Introduction to Red Sorghum

Red Sorghum is a long novel written by Mo Yan, divided into five chapters: Red Sorghum, Sorghum Wine, Dog Ways, Sorghum Funeral, and Strange Death. The five chapters were first published as novellas, of which Red Sorghum was first published in People’s Literature in 1986.

Red Sorghum is a family saga of Yu Zhan-ao and Dai Fenglian(identified as Granddad and Grandma from a boy’s perspective), covering their romance, their spontaneous resistance against the Japanese invaders between 1939 and 1941. This novel is set in the fields of dense, tall, red sorghum plants in Northeast Gaomi Township, Shandong Province, China, hence the title Red Sorghum. Red Sorghum is a classic work that shows the tenacity and national spirits of the Gaomi people in the Anti-Japanese war.

Translation and Transmission of Red Sorghum

In 1988, Mo Yan’s work Dry River was first translated and published in Japan, and in 1999, a total of 54 foreign translations of Mo Yan’s works were published during the 11 years, focusing on three works: Red Sorghum, Red Sorghum and The Garlic Ballads. A total of 30 overseas publications of Red Sorghum and Red Sorghum accounted for nearly 60% of the total overseas publications of Mo Yan’s works during this period.

As Mo Yan’s masterpiece, Red Sorghum was earlier translated and introduced to other countries, and is also the most translated and reprinted Mo Yan’s work. Compared to most Chinese literary works that do not sell well overseas, the sales of Red Sorghum are more optimistic. According to scholar Bao Xiaoying’s statistics, the English version of Red Sorghum was published in 1993 and sold more than 50,000 copies in a dozen years, which is not bad sales.

A very important indicator of the reach of a Chinese work of literature in the United States is the number of U.S. libraries that collect the work. If the number of U.S. libraries collecting the work is high, it means that the work is widely distributed in the United States, and vice versa (Liu Guozhi, Chi Changhai. Li Qingliu 2022: 60).

According to the table of the top 10 ranking of the dissemination of English-translated Chinese contemporary novels published in the United States, it can be seen that the English-translated novel Red Sorghum ranks third overall among the Chinese contemporary novels published and disseminated in the United States. It can be said that Red Sorghum is the most widely distributed Chinese contemporary novel in the United States. Table 2 shows the collections of public and community libraries and libraries of universities and research institutions in different states. It also shows the ranking and distribution of the top ten states in the United States for the distribution of the novel Red Sorghum in English translation. Six of the top ten states have more than 40% of the public and community libraries collecting Red Sorghum: 50% in Ohio, 49.23% in Illinois, 48.92% in California, 43.90% in Florida, 43.24% in North Carolina, and 41.27% in Texas, with Ohio accounting for half of the public and community libraries. . These data indicate that the Chinese contemporary novel Red Sorghum has entered public and community libraries in the U.S., showing that the structure of Chinese contemporary fiction distribution and readership in the U.S. is changing, shifting from its previous distribution primarily in universities and research institutions to the general public.

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Dissemination of Representative Chinese Contemporary Literary Works

Spreading Chinese culture in teaching Chinese as a second language