A Study On The English Translation Of Mai Jia's Jiemi In Light Of Communication Studies

Chinese literature,as an important carrier of Chinese culture,is a window through which the world learns about the real China.Therefore,export of Chinese literature is an effective way to promote cultural exchanges between China and other nations.Following the national strategy of “Going Abroad of Chinese Culture”,China has put substantial efforts into the export of Chinese literature;however,the results were far from satisfactory.There has been an adverse trade balance and few books were well received among English readers.Under this background,the English translation of Mai Jia's Jiemi,Decoded: A Novel,stood out among the rest due to its communication success in the English-speaking world.It not only hit a groundbreaking sales record,but also won acclaims from critics and readers alike.At present,studies have been made on its communication model and translated text,but none considered the communication process of Decoded: A Novel as a complete system consisting of interrelated elements.To fill in these gaps and provide reference for the export of Chinese literature,this study was conducted within the framework of Lasswell's 5W,namely communicator,media,content,audience and effects.Textual comparison of the translation and its original was applied in the communication content analysis to summarize the translation strategy and methods used by translators.Content analysis and document analysis were borrowed from communication studies to conduct analyses on communication effects,audience,communicator and media.The results show that Decoded has achieved a favorable effect.Both critics and mass readers recognized its literary value and translation quality in general.The politics elements and its genre as a spy thriller met up to readers' expectations.However,the marketing plan misguided the readers about its true genre.For communication content,the translators,with a strong readers' awareness,adopted mainly domestication strategy and produced a highly readable translation.For communicators and media,literary agent's preparation and publishers' investment in promotion contributed to the great communication effects it achieved in the English-speaking world.The success of Decoded: A Novel can be attributed to a set of factors,including literary elements of source text,diversified promotional channels,translators' readers' awareness,professional copyright selling and so on.As a representative of contemporary Chinese literature and genre fiction,a study on the communication model and translation criteria of Decoded can shed some light on the export of same type of Chinese literature.