Chinese web novel translation and dissemination: a case study on Lord of Mysteries

• Main Author: Dong, Yating
• Other Authors: Cui Feng
• Format: Thesis-Master by Coursework
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Humanities::Language
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168471
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Chinese web novels are gaining momentum all over the world, playing a crucial role in facilitating “Chinese culture going out”. Among the web novels translated into overseas, Lord of Mysteries is one of the most popular ones and creates a record of global web literature subscription during its updating. Figuring out the reasons behind the hit of Lord of Mysteries will provide experience for future translation activities and further improve the translation and dissemination of Chinese web novels and Chinese culture. Therefore, this dissertation intends to conduct a case study on Lord of Mysteries, analysing the main elements involved in the whole translation process from translation subjects, content selection and translation strategies to reader reception with the methods of both data analysis and text analysis. The study finds that the reputation of the platform and the translator laid the foundation of the popularity of Lord of Mysteries by attracting more readers; the fantasy genre and the unique setting combined western and Chinese culture, as well as the domestication strategies makes the content more accessible to overseas readers. Most importantly, the study finds that reader reception is the most essential element throughout the whole process of the translation and dissemination of the novel. Improving reader reception may even reverse the output mode of Chinese web novels, making overseas readers take the initiative to know Chinese web novels and culture and decide what will be translated, which in turn will further improve the reception of Chinese web novels and culture. The dissertation also outlooks the future of the translation of Chinese web novels and proposes some suggestions based on the findings.