Effects of Translators’ Cultural Identity on Translation of Chinese Modern Popular Literature: A Case Study of English Version of The Dark Forest and Death’s End
From the perspective of cultural diaspora, this article interprets the English translation of Chinese
culture in The Dark Forest and Death’s End, and compares the translation style of American translator Joel
Martinsen and diasporic translator Ken Liu to discuss the effects of translators’ cultural identity on his or
her translation. Martinsen takes Chinese culture as the starting point and the target readers as the core, fully
considering the thinking patterns and expression habits of English readers, but he occasionally misunderstands
some phrases. Liu tends to transplant Chinese culture into English culture and guide readers to understand the
author, showing the unique charm of Chinese. Heightening the sense of identity of the diasporic translators can
better enhance the effectiveness of Chinese literature’s global communication and the international effects of
Chinese culture.