An interview with Joel Martinsen: translating The Dark Forest and Cixin Liu’s other Sci-fi

Abstract

ABSTRACT This interview took place on the ZOOM platform on 29 July 2022. The focus of the interview between Gaosheng Deng and Joel Martinsen, the translator of The Dark Forest and Cixin Liu’s other Sci-fi, was on the habitus and subjectivity of translators. Since Toury introduced the concept of norms into translation studies, most translation practices can be explained by using norms. The role of translation norms was reinforced by habitus. Translators embody their habitus and translation style formed by their externalization in translation, which includes the selection of translation materials, translation strategies, and translator’s understanding of the essence of translation, all of which represent various translation norms. The main topics covered in the interview include the social path taken by translators before entering the translation industry, the translator’s style, the process of translation, revision, and the differences between Chinese and Western culture, allowing readers and researchers to learn more about the external social norms that has shaped the translator’s habitus.