4。2。3 Pragmatic Explicitation in Translation 21

5。 Conclusion 24

5。1 Major Findings 24

5。2 Limitations and Suggestions for Further Research 24

References 26

1。 Introduction

1。1 Introduction to Folding Beijing

Folding Beijing, a novelette published in Uncanny Magazine, depicts a fantastical future where Beijing within the 6th Ring Road is pided by three spaces physically, sharing the same earth surface in each 48 hour cycle。 The whole story is depicted in a rather calm and composed manner, as the main character slinks into the elite-exclusive First Space to deliver a message from a love-struck young man in the Second Space。 

The major character of this novel, Lao Dao, is a waste processing worker of the Third Space。 He is offered a job by QinTian, a graduate student in the Second Space, to deliver a love letter to Yi Yan, Qin’s lover in the first space。 To make enough money for his adopted daughter Tangtang's kindergarten tuition, Lao Dao accepts this job。 However, on the way back, Lao Dao is captured due to the lack of an identification of the First Space, but rescued by Lao Ge, a security official who was born in the Third Space。 After dropping the response letter to Qin, Lao Dao comes back to the Third Space with newly made money and continues his life。

It is a science fiction novel created by Chinese writer Hao Jingfang, a post-1980s writer who graduated from Tsinghua University’s Department of Physics。 Hao is a macroeconomics researcher, and it shines through in her work, particularly in the way that she portrays the power-law distribution of wealth in her society, and how that plays out in the real life-choices and priorities of her characters。 

An English translation by Ken Liu was published in 2015 and this story is the winner of the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Novelette。 Ken Liu is an author and translator of speculative fiction, as well as a lawyer and programmer。 His translation of The Three-Body Problem, by Liu Cixin, won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2015, the first translated novel ever to receive that honor。

Some argue that the mechanics of this soft-dystopia tale are all-too-human and realistic, which makes it unfitting to be recognized as a science fiction。 But it still strikes a chord in abundant readers both at home and abroad。源Q于W优E尔A论S文R网wwW.yOueRw.com 原文+QQ75201,8766

1。2 Rationale and Significance of this Paper 

1。2。1 Problems in Science Fiction Translation in China 

China has one of the largest science fiction reading populations in the world and has produced a significant body of works that have remained relatively unseen by English-speaking audiences。 Luckily, in recent years, a few stories and novels have been published in English language and enjoyed great popularity among westerners。

In order to attract readers who speak different languages, decent translations of science fictions become more and more significant。 However, because of different cultures and language backgrounds, when a number of marvelous science fictions flood into another nation, their renditions could not always be as wonderful as the original ones and, therefore, might fail to produce similar effects on the target audience。 

Because there are many English works translated into Chinese every year but few Chinese works translated into English, and because there are many skilled English-Chinese translators but far fewer skilled Chinese-English translators, the net effect is that some translators of renown, especially in literary fiction, where the economy of prestige matters a great deal, have become gatekeepers and tastemakers, wield an enormous amount of power over their authors and their words, and shape the perception of the Anglophone readership of Chinese fiction even more than Chinese authors。