Translating a Foreign Writer: A Case Study of Byron in China

This paper analyzes the social and cultural factors attributed to Byron’s wide popularity in twentieth century’s China, highlighting a heroic image of Byron perceived by a majority of Chinese readers with only a few translations of his works. It is argued that Byron’s success was largely because of his support of Greece’s independence, which fit well in the prevailing nationalist discourse in China at that time. Translating Byron’s work thus became a process of constructing an image of Byron politically and ideologically suitable for both Chinese society and Chinese readers in different contexts. Not only did translators and literary critics play a crucial role in this process but also literary organizations contributed to the shaping and fostering of such a heroic image of Byron among Chinese readers. Although nowadays Byron has gradually lost his charm as the situation in China changed, his heroic image is in fact further simplified and reinforced through a stereotyped, ideologically charged definition imposed by English literature education in Chinese universities. This paper suggests that translating a foreign writer is not solely a literary exercise by certain individual literary agents but is a far more complex process involving multiple social, cultural and political relationships in the target culture(s), which consequently diversifies and enriches the interpretations of the writer and his works in the world.