A Study Of English Translations Of Modern Chinese Drama And Their Reception In The English-speaking Countries (1949-2015)

With China's economic rise,a lot of research has been done on translated Chinese literature,mostly fiction and poetry.However,studies of modern Chinese drama translated into English are few and far between,especially with regard to translation norms and the reception of translated plays.Within the theoretical framework of Descriptive Translation Studies,the following dissertation attempts to describe the translation and reception of modern Chinese drama in the world.Translation activities of English magazines Chinese Literature,Renditions and overseas publishers of modern Chinese drama are examined with a view to explore the political,poetical,and ideological factors influencing the selection of works and translation strategies,thus shedding light on the dissemination of modern Chinese plays in the world as well as on the theory and practice of theatre translation.The research methodology is based on case studies,using quantitative and qualitative approaches,as well as a close scrutiny of source and target texts and paratexts(e.g.translator and editor's preface).The main research questions are as follows:1)What are the agents involved in translating modern and contemporary Chinese drama into English and what are their selection criteria?2)Which criteria can be derived from the translation strategies?3)How are the translated plays received in the target culture?Chapter 1 describes the research background,objectives,and methodology.Chapter 2 highlights the relevant research carried out on translation and dissemination of modern Chinese drama in the world.Chapter 3 describes the translations produced by Chinese Literature,focusing on the selection criteria and translation strategies.Chapter 4 examines the translation activities in Hong Kong.Chapter 5 explores anthologies of modern Chinese drama published overseas during the period 1970-2015,illustrating their selection criteria and the canonization of modern Chinese drama they thus establish.The study finds that Chinese Literature takes translation as a way of disseminating China's Communist ideology,thus projecting an initial image of modern Chinese drama as a medium of political struggle.Renditions' translation constructs a different and complex image by using diverse selection criteria.Translation anthologies published overseas also make their contributions to the canon building of modern Chinese drama.It concludes with a discussion of what influences the reception of modern Chinese plays abroad and what can be done to translate and disseminate China's modem drama more efficiently.