The Translation And Reception Of Western Musicals In China

Musicals have garnered increasing attention in China in recent years,having originated in the West and only becoming popular in the last few decades.While some research has been conducted to review the history of its development in China,few has put the matter under the lens of Medio-Translatology.This thesis takes the translation,dissemination and reception of Les Misérables the musical as an example and examines the factors contributing to its remarkable reception in China,both within and beyond the text.The thesis aims to address two research questions.Firstly,how the creative treason of the translator contributed to the successful reception of Les Misérables in China?Secondly,what were the social and cultural factors that contributed to such success?The analysis is guided by the theoretical framework of Medio-Translatology proposed by Xie Tianzhen,with textual analysis and document analysis as the methods of research.Through the contrastive analysis of the original and translated texts,as well as an investigation of the cultural context of the time,the thesis established the following conclusions.Firstly,the creative treason committed by the translator rendered the text more congenial to the Chinese culture,paving the way for its reception.Secondly,the cultural and social factors in the cultural context are favourable for its reception as well,including the rise of mass culture,the lack of competition from the Chinese drama circle as well as a complex social sentiment that was echoed in the story.In conclusion,this thesis highlights the importance of creative treason as well as cultural and social factors in the translation and reception of musicals,proves the value of employing Medio-Translatology for the crosscultural reception of musicals,and provides insights into the potential future development of musical in China.