A History of Translation and Interpretation

H.C. Andersens tales are considered as classical fairy tales in China. How Wenjie Li they have achieved this canonical status is one of the concerns of this book. Taking a historical point of view, this book has explained how the Chinese translations and interpretations of his tales, since they were first introduced and translated, have contributed to their canonization, and how they have shaped the various images of Andersen in different temporal periods. Moreover, considering translation as a social practice taking place in a polysystem, this book has further explicated how socio-political factors like economics and ideology, as well as human factors such as patrons, translators, and readers, have influenced the Chinese translations and interpretations of Andersens tales. In addition, by referring to the Chinese target texts, English mediating texts and Danish original texts, this book has clarified the intertextual relations and influences operating among different versions of Andersens tales.