基于文本数据挖掘的中国当代科幻小说在英语世界的接受读者情感态度视角

The Reception of Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in the English-Speaking World Based on Text Data Mining: From the Perspective of Readers’ Sentimental Attitudes

  • 摘要: 本文以刘宇昆和周华所翻译的八部当代中国科幻文学译作为研究对象,利用文本数据挖掘技术对八部译作的读者评论进行情感分析,以考察读者对这些译作的情感态度。在此基础上选取其中的五部译作,考察读者所关注的焦点话题及相关话题的评价倾向,并分析相关译作获得读者较高情感评价的原因。研究发现,海外英语读者对The Dark ForestDeath’ s End的情感评价为“很积极”,对Invisible PlanetsThe Three-Body Problem的评价为“积极”,对Broken Stars的评价为“较积极”,对The Redemption of TimeVagabondsWaste Tide的评价为“一般”。读者所关注的焦点话题主要集中于“构思创意”“故事情节”“人物塑造”“翻译质量”等几个方面。多数读者对所选取的五部译作的“构思创意”“故事情节”和“翻译质量”给予了积极评价,而对“人物塑造”则给予了一般或较为消极的评价。相关译作能获得读者较高情感评价的原因,一是这些作品本身在构思创意、故事情节等方面对英语世界的读者具有较大的吸引力;二是这些作品翻译质量较高,尤其是译者刘宇昆在翻译中采用了适度的异化翻译策略,并在意义内容和篇章结构上进行了适度的改写,由此满足了海外英语读者的阅读偏好和审美期待。

     

    Abstract: This article takes the eight translations of contemporary Chinese sci-fi novels translated by Ken Liu and Joel Martinsen as the research objects, and uses text data mining technology to conduct sentiment analysis of the reader comments of the eight translations, in order to examine the readers’ sentimental attitudes towards the translations. On this basis, five of the eight translations are selected for further analysis, in which the focal topics that readers are concerned about, and the evaluative attitudes associated with these topics are investigated, along with the reasons why the relevant translations have received relatively high levels of positive evaluation from readers. The study finds that overseas English readers have a “very positive” overall evaluation of The Dark Forest and Death’s End, a “positive” overall evaluation of Invisible Planets and The Three-Body Problem, a “relatively positive” overall evaluation of Broken Stars, and an “average” overall evaluation of The Redemption of Time, Vagabonds, and Waste Tide. The topics that readers are most concerned about mainly focus on such aspects as “ideas/concepts”, “plots”, “characters/characterization” and “translation”. Most readers give positive comments on the “ideas/concepts”, “plots” and “translation” of the five selected translations, while giving “average” or “relatively negative” comments on their “characters/characterization.” The fact that the relevant translations receive readers’ relatively high levels of positive evaluation can be attributed to two primary reasons. First, the ideation and plots of these works exhibit significant appeal to English readers. Second, the high quality translation of these works — particularly Ken Liu’s application of moderate foreignization strategy and his appropriate rewriting of the original in content and texture— caters to the reading preferences and aesthetic expectations of the overseas English readers.

     

/

返回文章
返回