Censorship and translation in Mainland China

Abstract

Censorship, as a coercive activity, aims to block or control information that is regarded as objectionable for political, moral or other reasons. Censorship can also be classified as prior (or preventive) censorship and post censorship in terms of the time that censorship takes place. In Mainland China, prior censorship is largely done by editors to expurgate book drafts before publication. The review of the literature shows that there are some studies on censorship in China in general, but quite a few studies have focused on censorship and translation in contemporary Mainland China. Even fewer studies associate the laws and regulations in the PRC with censorship and translation, or invite any insider to reflect on the process of censorship. As an academic discipline, translation studies seldom deals with this phenomenon seen in China as well as other authoritarian states. This chapter introduces some related laws and regulations currently in effect in Mainland China, which serve as rules that govern censorship.