A Case Study On The Translation And Reception Of Mo Yan’s Works In The English World

As one of the most important contemporary writers in China, Mo Yan has beentranslated and introduced in many countries, and has won numerous literary prizes inChina and abroad. In2012, Mo Yan became the first Nobel Laureate with a Chinesenationality, which heralded a “Mo Yan Craze” in China.This thesis is a case study of the translation and introduction of Mo Yan’s works inforeign countries, with the focus on the English speaking countries such as the U.S. and theU.K. In light of the theories and methods embodied in Medio-Translatology andManipulation Theory in descriptive translation studies, the thesis attempts to answer thefollowing questions: what is the status of his translated works? What characteristics can befound in its circulation, the translated contents and language? What kind of translationstrategies are employed in his English printed works translated by Howard Goldblatt, andwhy? How are the translated works received in the English speaking world?The main content of this thesis includes the following parts. The introduction providesa general background including the research questions and methodologies used, a literaturereview, the theoretical framework and the significance of the study. The first chapterattempts to explore the introduction of Mo Yan’s works worldwide, more specifically in theEnglish world. The second chapter discusses the translation strategies and methodsemployed in the English printed editions translated by Howard Goldblatt, and gives atheoretical explanation with Manipulation Theory. The third chapter probes into thereception of Mo Yan’s works in the U.S. and the U.K. by collecting and analyzinginformation on its publication and sales data from publishers and Nielsen BookScan(professional book retail data service provider), as well as general readers’ reviews postedon the biggest online bookstore in the English world Amazon. The last chapter draws aconclusion of this thesis with some suggestions for the translation and introduction ofcontemporary Chinese literature works to the world.