Chinese culture-loaded words and the international dissemination of Chinese science fiction: A case study of the translation strategies in the Spanish version of The Three-Body Problem

Research on the Transformation of Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction

Written by Liu Cixin and published in 2006, The Three-Body Problem is one of the most popular science fiction novels in China. Its English version translated by Ken Liu won a Hugo Award for Best Novel, which has pushed Chinese science fiction to a higher status in the world. Science fiction translation is an emerging topic in the field of translation research. Current studies mainly focus on the translation strategies adopted by the English version of The Three-Body Problem, and little research explores how culture-loaded words are translated from the perspective of Manipulation Theory. Employing a case-study approach, this thesis applies Manipulation Theory to the analysis of culture-loaded words in Ken Liu’s English translation of The Three-Body Problem. The results show: (1) manipulated by ideology, the translator rewrites the culture-loaded words containing political elements and religious elements with translation strategies such as amplification, transliteration and domestication; (2) poetics manipulates the translation of Chinese idioms, old sayings and proverbs, in which domestication, idiomatic translation and literal translation strategies are adopted; (3) to meet the patronage’s expectation, the translator adds many footnotes which provide extra information about Chinese culture. These results can shed light on culture-loaded words translation of science fiction and make a positive contribution to Chinese culture going abroad.

“The Chinese loan words of the same signified with different signifiers” refers to the different words that denote the same object or concept from a foreign language in the process of borrowing foreign words because of the translation strategy or other factors. The coexistence of the loan words of the same signified with different signifiers is not in line with the economy of language, and in most cases, it will generate word competition, and eventually, some words will retain successfully, while the rest will be eliminated. In this paper, we take the Chinese loan words of the same signified with two signifiers in the late Qing Dynasty and Republican Periods as the object of study and use “An Etymological Glossary of Selected Modern Chinese Words” and “Modern Chinese Dictionary (7th edition)” as the research materials to establish a database. The study provides an in-depth analysis of the factors influencing one-word occupation from the perspectives of the translation strategy, morpheme meaning, the number of syllables, and the preference of Chinese characters. We find that expression clarity, form simplicity, and cultural adaptability play important roles in two-word competition. Words with clear expression, short length, and positive meaning are more likely to survive. This study focuses on the dynamic evolution of Chinese words, which has some significance and value in revealing the evolutionary pattern of Chinese vocabulary.

The Three-Body Problems is a representative work of Liu Cixin, who is a Chinese science fiction writer. This novel tells that humans have triggered the signal of contacting with the three-body civilization outside the universe, so they start a desperate struggle to save the earth. The translation of this book won the 73rd Hugo Award for Best Novel after translated by Liu Yukun, who is a Chinese-American writer. The translator adopted different translation methods to represent the original text to improve the readability and appreciation of the book. The readers not only can obtain the content and but also can feel the writing style of the author while reading. At the same time, the popularity of its English version of also promotes the international process of Chinese science fiction. From the perspective of Morris' semiotic, this article analyzes some cases in English version of this book through semiotic trichotomy to discuss the role of the translator's subjectivity. Morris explained the concepts of syntactics, semantic and pragmatics, which refer to the relationship between the different signs, the signs and referent, signs and interpreter respectively in the Foundation of the Theory of Signs. Translator's Subjectivity refers to a kind of subjective initiative shown by the translator who is the main part in translation process and wants to achieve the translation aims. The author of this article finds some translation phenomena that the translator changes the original content appropriately, resolves the differences between different culture by exerting his creative role in the translation to make the translation closer to the culture and reading habits of target readers. Therefore, the author categorized these different translation phenomena according to the linguistic meaning, designative meaning and pragmatic meaning: Firstly, it is divided into recombination of science fiction elements and synesthesia of dynamic parts of speech according to the relationship of different language signs. The writer often creates some science fiction words that are beyond the real world. The translator uses the method of word-building and reorganizes the root and meaning while dealing with such words. Focusing on some words that the original author uses ABAB-type words to simulate the sound effect, the translator adopts the descriptive explanation to reach the semantic equivalence trough the verb nominalization. Secondly, Referential meaning and literal meaning are not equivalent because of the difference between the language and culture according to the relationship of signs and referents. This article analyzes the translation method of idioms and a two-part allegorical saying in source text. The translator must possess bilingual language and cultural knowledge, analyzing the referential meaning of source text and giving the interpretant by considering context in different language culture, so that reach the equivalence of designative meaning and make up the language vacancy. Thirdly, it is divided into adjustment of chronological order and structure in text as well as annotation on diachronic words. The writer adopts the narrative method of interposition. The translator adjusts the time and space development order of the narrative and revises the frame structure of the original text narrative without changing the meaning. And the translator also divides the article into three parts which reflect the translator's understanding and recreating for source text. In recent years, most of domestic researches focus on the theoretical interpretation and application of Saussure and Pierce's semiotics. There are relatively few literatures that combine Morris semiotics with translation. Moreover, there is no research that combines semiotics with translator's subjectivity. It is a new field to study the literary translation by using semiotics. It is helpful to study the literary translation due to the strong practice guidance and operability of Morris' semiotics. The research in this article expands the research scope of semiotics to a certain extent. It also enriches the research field of semiotics and provides a new theoretical perspective for translation research of science fiction literature.

After The Three-Body Problem written by Chinese science fiction author Liu Cixin was awarded Hugo Award in 2015, Chinese Science Fiction has become a global phenomenon. However, previous studies often focus on the translation text instead of the social and political context behind the international success of the genre and the role the translator Ken Liu played in the process. Not to mention to bring about the obvious fact that both the author and the translator tend not to discuss political issues in public. Therefore, this thesis aims to explore the important role Ken Liu played in the introduction and translation of Chinese Science Fiction to the Anglophone readership, and highlight the narrative differences between the author and the translator and the mainstream receptions through reviewing the hundred-year development of science fiction in China and the analysis of multiple paratexts and the translation of The Three-Body Problem. Finally, with the detailed analysis of the translation strategies in The Three-Body Problem, this thesis also explores how the translator successfully introduced this classical Chinese Science Fiction novel to the world, and strengthen the identity and status of the translator at the same time. It is expected that this thesis can shed a new light on the identity of translator in translation studies and provide some useful suggestions on the English translation of science fiction written in Chinese.

The Three-Body Problem is a science fiction novel rich in historical and cultural elements, gaining substantial international attention and positively contributing to the dissemination of Chinese culture. This study aimed to examine the culture-loaded words (CLW) in The Three-Body Problem and analyze their translation methods. Using a stratified sampling methodology, the research identified the characteristics of the CLW and evaluated their translations under the guidance of functional equivalence theory in terms of communicative, meaning, and emotional equivalence. The findings revealed that the translation of CLW largely achieved communicative equivalence, though occasional inadequacies in meaning and emotional equivalence arose due to meaning weakening and compensation. Regarding translation methods, the translator mainly used free translation to ensure accessibility. Meanwhile, literal translation and combined translation method were applied to preserve cultural characteristics and enhance information transfer. This study examined how functional equivalence could be achieved in translating CLW in The Three-Body Problem. It identified key translation methods that maintained cultural nuances and enhanced the accuracy of cultural representation, thus improving the understanding of Chinese science fiction in international contexts.

PurposeThe purpose of constructing the technology/function matrix is to analyze the patents in the target domain. The extraction of technology words is an important part of the construction of technology/function matrix. This algorithm is used to solve the problem of low efficiency of traditional Chinese process patents technology words extraction.Design/methodology/approachThe authors propose a Chinese process patents technology words extraction method based on the improved term frequency–inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) algorithm to help technicians obtain the technology words in the target domain. According to the characteristics of Chinese process patents technology words, the TF value of candidate technology words is divided into four parts, and the corpus of IDF value calculation of candidate technology words is selected.FindingsThrough the test of Chinese process patents in the domain of path planning, this study shows that the method is feasible and practical. It can help users quickly and accurately obtain the technology words of Chinese process patents in the target domain.Practical implicationsWith the increasing number of patents on the network-based patent information platform, patent analysis of massive Chinese process patents has become a research focus. The method proposed in this paper can facilitate users to extract technology words from massive Chinese process patents for patent analysis.Originality/valueThis paper aims to improve the efficiency of Chinese process patents technology words extraction. The authors hope that the proposed method can reduce the labor and time cost of Chinese process patents technology words extraction.

This paper selects the Chinese white paper China’s Armed Forces: 30 Years of UN Peacekeeping Operations to make a study of the translation methods of the Chinese culture-loaded words in Chinese white paper. Based on Eugene A. Nida’ s classification of culture, culture-loaded words are commonly divided into five categories: material, ecological, social, linguistic and religious culture-loaded words. For culture-loaded words from different cultural fields, different translation methods should be chosen. And the translation of culture-load words in Chinese white paper should balance both cultural and information transmission. If it cannot do both, priority should be given to the information transmission.

Chinese science fiction, a subset of the fastest-growing global science fiction, has been largely overlooked by mainstream literature in China. Despite facing socio-political and economic turmoil, it has slowly made a mark in contemporary literature. As society changes, science and technology advance, and the shadow of history remains, new generations of Chinese science fiction writers have successfully triggered its development. Currently, the number of Chinese sci-fi writings has increased rapidly, and some great paradigms are even included in textbooks. However, the emergence of globalization has played a significant role in popularizing Chinese science fiction overseas. Science fiction films and television works that focus on Chinese themes and show Chinese imagination and culture are increasingly recognized, injecting new ideas into China's science fiction industry. Chinese science fiction has always had a transnational nature due to the global presence of overseas Chinese literati and the growing country's stature. A lot has been talked and researched on the development of Chinese science fiction within China, however little has been talked regarding the genre’s potential to become a global phenomenon. Through this paper the researcher has tried to examine the inherent potential of Chinese science fiction as transnational cultural tool for becoming a key contributor to global science fiction.

Mo Yan is a famous Chinese writer. He has become the first Chinese to win the Nobel Prize in literature. Frog is one of Mo Yan's masterpieces. His works were strongly influenced by magical realism and told the legend which took place in Gaomi, Shandong Province, during the Cultural Revolution and the early years of reform and opening up. Different countries have different cultural formation processes, which have led to creating their culture-loaded words. Culture-loaded words refer to the words, phrases, and idioms used to signify objects peculiar to specific cultures. These culture-loaded words and expressions are the direct reflections of the unique features of Chinese culture. The translator needs to avoid errors and omissions in translation, especially when translating cultural information. Based on domestication and foreignization translation strategies, this article takes Howard Goldblatt's English translation of Mo Yan's Frog as the research object to explore the translation and effect of cultural-loaded words in the novel. The translator uses foreignization and domestication strategies to explain and convey these Chinese characteristics. It achieves faithfulness to the original text and flexibly handles culture-loaded words with Chinese characteristics, ensuring the attractiveness and affinity of the translated text. The research on the English translation of the Chinese culture-loaded words in the novel is helpful for foreign readers to understand and accept the culture with Chinese characteristics.

This article analyzes the relationship between scientific technology and literary imagination in Chinese Science Fictions and attempts to understand the social significance of these novels at the time. This Science Fictions reflects the science and social reality of China and shows the world of literary imagination. China's Science Fictions reflect the “Chinese dream” of realizing a space project for the moon and space by developing new science and technology amid the growth of politics and economy of the time. Not only can the prototype of Chinese Science Fiction be found in ancient myths and legends, but it was also developed by intellectuals who wanted to discover the future of modern 'New China'. In the early 20th century, Science Fictions also developed as modern writers such as Liang Qichao, Lu Xun, and La She promoted new literary enlightenment projects. In addition, Western science fiction works such as Mary W. Shelly, Jules Verne, and Herbert George Wells were translated and accepted in China, which had a great influence on the development of Science Fictions in China. To understand the development and meaning of Science Fictions of the time in China, this article analyzed the representative works of Liu Cixin, Hao Jingfang, and Wang Weilian. Chinese Science Fictions created literary works by exerting scientific imagination on dark social problems caused by urbanization and capitalization. In addition, it is looking for prospects and alternatives for the future society, reflecting the crises of mankind and the Earth. Thus, human life through scientific knowledge and imagination is reconstructed into literary imagination.

Chinese culture-loaded words refer to the words, phrases, or idioms symbolizing unique features of Chinese culture. There are many Chinese culture-loaded words in the process of reading or translating Chinese literary works, intercultural communication. It’s accurate translation of Chinese culture-loaded words is conducive to the development of linguistic, and it is of vital importance for translation and intercultural communication. This article systematically introduces five kinds of Chinese culture-loaded words, thus summarizing foreignization and domestication translation strategy based on relevance translation theory, equivalence translation theory. Through analysis of examples, it lists different translation methods, aiming at choosing the best solution to translate different Chinese culture-loaded words. It not only enables readers to gain better understanding of Chinese literary and make intercultural communication, but also makes great contribution to diffuse Chinese culture around the world.

As China’s expansion of influence now takes up the spotlight of the world stage, Chinese science fiction, a relatively little known genre, reaches a global audience. In 2015, Liu Cixin received the Hugo Award for Best Novel for his trilogy The Three-Body Problem, as the first Asian science fiction writer to receive the Hugo Award. A year later, Hao Jingfang’s Folding Beijing was awarded the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Novelette. The recent world-wide recognition of Chinese science fiction begins with English translation, U.S. publication and promotion. The New York Times cited The Three-Body Problem as having helped popularize Chinese science fiction internationally, crediting the quality of Ken Liu’s English translation, as well as endorsements by George R. R. Martin, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and former U.S. president Barack Obama (Alter). In this review essay, I argue that recent Chinese science fiction boom represents both Chinese exceptionalism and universalist concerns for humanities now and future. In what follows, I first offer a brief outline of the two works, highlighting the alterations that occur in translations. Then I try to identify several salient features of these works by situating them within the global political and economic contexts of China rise (or threat), geopolitical conflicts, competition and rivalry in science and technology, particularly AI, 5G technology, especially the global rise of nationalism and populism. Finally, I suggest an allegorical reading of these two works (and other recent Chinese science fiction) as nationalist allegories.

The twenty-first century has witnessed the rise of female science fiction (SF) writers in China. This development marks a significant transformation in the history of Chinese SF. However, very few studies of these works exist. This chapter examines some of the works of Chinese female SF writers side by side with those of male SF writers to lay out the contributions they make to the Chinese SF field and the challenges they face.

New Worlds has had a huge impact on Western science fiction literature and propelled the development of British "New Wave" science fiction novels. Editor in chief Michael Moorcock dedicated to developing new literary styles and cultivating a large number of excellent science fiction writers. Before the 1990s, Chinese science fiction novels had always been a supplement to popular science and children's literature. It was Science Fiction World that cultivated a "new generation" of science fiction writers for Chinese science fiction literature and brought a vigorous development momentum to the Chinese science fiction industry. Although Chinese science fiction in the 21st century is generally showing a steady development trend, it has not yet entered the "golden age" of Chinese science fiction. The experience gained from the development of New Worlds and Science Fiction World provides valuable reference for the development of science fiction magazines in China today.