A Study on the Construction of the Other in the English Translation of Mai Jia’s Decoded
Journal: Region - Educational Research and Reviews DOI: 10.32629/rerr.v6i4.2061
Abstract
In 2014, Mai Jia’s novel Decoded was simultaneously released in multiple English-speaking countries, with the version by Penguin Books in the UK even being included in the Penguin Classics series. Mai Jia thus became the first contemporary Chinese author to be featured in this prestigious library.[1] This paper focuses on the English translation of Decoded by Olivia Milburn and Christopher Payne, employing the theory of imagology to examine the variations in the portrayal of the other in the translated version and the reasons behind them. The study reveals that the translators predominantly utilize strategies of alienation and literal translation, integrating the other with the cultural features of the target language. However, this integration to some extent diminishes the cultural nuances of the original work, and the reconstruction of the other is a result of the translators’ influence from their own social collective imaginary, as well as their emotions, attitudes, and imagination.
Keywords
Decoded; Mai Jia; other; image variation
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[1] Mai Jia. Decoded [M]. Beijing: October Literature and Art Publishing House; 2014.
[2] He Mingxing. Examining the Acceptance of Contemporary Chinese Literature in Europe and America Through the Overseas Bestseller Status of Decoded [J]. Foreign Communication. 2014; (11): 9-11.
[3] Wang Li, Liu Changliang. Translation Strategies and Constraints of the English Translation of Decoded [J]. Journal of Qiqihar University (Philosophy & Social Science Edition). 2016; (08): 131-134.
[4] Zhai Yaping. (2020) A Study on Conceptual Metaphors and Metonymies in Spy Novels from the Perspective of Cognitive Linguistics [D]. Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou.
[5] Gao Zhixin. (2019) A Study of the English Translation of Decoded: A Perspective Based on the Theory of Intertextuality [D]. Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou.
[6] Daniel-Henri Pageaux. Image. Edited by Meng Hua. Comparative Literature Imagology [M]. Beijing: Peking University Press; 2001.
[7] Zhou Ning, Song Binghui. Research on Western Images of China: A Dialogue on the Discipline and Research Paradigms of Imagology [J]. Chinese Comparative Literature. 2005; (2): 43-74.
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[9] Daniel-Henri Pageaux. From Cultural Images to Collective Imaginaries. Edited by Meng Hua. Comparative Literature Imagology [M]. Beijing: Peking University Press; 2001.
[10] Meng Hua. Imagological Research Should Focus on Holism and Comprehensiveness [J]. Chinese Comparative Literature. 2000; (4): 11-16.
[11] Cen Qunxia. Analysis of the English Translation of Mai Jia’s Novel Decoded Based on Bourdieu’s Field Theory [J]. Appreciation of Masterpieces. 2015; (09): 136-140.
[12] Wang Yunhong. Imagology and Translation Studies [J]. Foreign Languages (Journal of Shanghai International Studies University). 2018; (4): 30-43.
[2] He Mingxing. Examining the Acceptance of Contemporary Chinese Literature in Europe and America Through the Overseas Bestseller Status of Decoded [J]. Foreign Communication. 2014; (11): 9-11.
[3] Wang Li, Liu Changliang. Translation Strategies and Constraints of the English Translation of Decoded [J]. Journal of Qiqihar University (Philosophy & Social Science Edition). 2016; (08): 131-134.
[4] Zhai Yaping. (2020) A Study on Conceptual Metaphors and Metonymies in Spy Novels from the Perspective of Cognitive Linguistics [D]. Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou.
[5] Gao Zhixin. (2019) A Study of the English Translation of Decoded: A Perspective Based on the Theory of Intertextuality [D]. Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou.
[6] Daniel-Henri Pageaux. Image. Edited by Meng Hua. Comparative Literature Imagology [M]. Beijing: Peking University Press; 2001.
[7] Zhou Ning, Song Binghui. Research on Western Images of China: A Dialogue on the Discipline and Research Paradigms of Imagology [J]. Chinese Comparative Literature. 2005; (2): 43-74.
[8] Milburn，Decoded: A Novel[M]. New York: Picador; 2014.
[9] Daniel-Henri Pageaux. From Cultural Images to Collective Imaginaries. Edited by Meng Hua. Comparative Literature Imagology [M]. Beijing: Peking University Press; 2001.
[10] Meng Hua. Imagological Research Should Focus on Holism and Comprehensiveness [J]. Chinese Comparative Literature. 2000; (4): 11-16.
[11] Cen Qunxia. Analysis of the English Translation of Mai Jia’s Novel Decoded Based on Bourdieu’s Field Theory [J]. Appreciation of Masterpieces. 2015; (09): 136-140.
[12] Wang Yunhong. Imagology and Translation Studies [J]. Foreign Languages (Journal of Shanghai International Studies University). 2018; (4): 30-43.
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