The translation of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales in China

Abstract

Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales have been popular among Chinese readers since they were introduced to China through translation a century ago. This paper studies the translation of Andersen’s fairy tales in China by focusing on prominent Chinese translators of Andersen and their landmark translations. Regarding translation as a social activity, the author attempts to interpret the behaviour of the translator in terms of the historical context in which it occurred, as well as the corresponding ideology of literature. It is argued that the language styles and translating strategies adopted by the translators of different ages have varied according to the translator’s understanding of the original works, his purpose of translating, the publishers’ interests and the readers’ expectations in the target culture, as well as the image of Andersen constructed in the socio-cultural context from which the translation emerged. Therefore, the translation practice, which has contributed to the canonization of Andersen in China, is a process of the translators’ negotiations with the fluid Chinese poetics and ideology of the 20th century.

Translating Agendas in Children’s Literature: Oscar Wilde’s Fairy Tales in China

“…Some of these are topics with political focus and viewpoints, which are to be further discussed as the research focus of this study. Additionally, the translation of a similar fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson is discussed in terms of canonization as well as the process of the translators' negotiations with the fluid Chinese poetics and ideology of the twentieth century (Luo & Zhu, 2019). Inevitably, recontextualizing political discourse in children's literature across cultures: 2) How are the prominent discursive properties translated, especially in the English to Chinese context?…”

“…When I translate the works of my predecessors abroad, I just borrowed the words of others to speak my own heart. (Ba Jin 1988) The early twentieth century was an era of huge intellectual ferment in the introduction of western ideals, characterized above all by the translation of copious new literary genres, including children's literature, into classical Chinese (Luo & Zhu, 2019). The translator themselves are vigorous in selecting source texts to be made available in their society, thus "appealing to the Chinese people to rise to the national crisis resulting from China's humiliating defeat in the wars" (Li, 2014, p. 122).…”

“…Many Chinese writers like Ye Shengtao began their fairy tale creation careers in the 1920s. They were influenced by imported Western works written by writers such as Andersen and Wilde (Luo & Zhu, 2019). These works were introduced to China before and after the May 4th Revolution.…”