Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    China
    Home / China / Society

    Novel concept bridges worlds with translations to English

    By Mei Jia | China Daily | Updated: 2017-04-24 07:42
    Share
    Share - WeChat

    "Master Ren" - as he is known online - has become an international sensation for his masterful translations of Chinese fantasy novels into English.

    The 31-year-old Chinese-American, whose pen name is Ren Woxing - real name Lai Jingping - aspired to "do something for Sino-US relations" after graduating from University of California, Berkeley.

    First, he joined the US Foreign Service. Then, he translated fiction.

    He is said to be the first to translate a Chinese web novel as long as 3.4 million words. It was arranged into 804 chapters.

    He updated his chapter-by-chapter translations free on the online forum SPCNET, where fans discuss and share translations of particular works.

    That was a year and a half of diligent translation, a "life-changing ... heck of a ride", Lai said.

    The popularity of the work inspired him to launch website wuxiaworld.com in December 2014. It had received over 1 billion visits as of August.

    He quit his diplomatic position in Vietnam at the end of 2015, with overwork's strain on his health requiring him to choose one path or the other.

    "My parents happened to be visiting, and they saw the state I was in. They knew I wouldn't give up wuxiaworld. Their only concerns were about my previous career," he said.

    He views his work facilitating Chinese online-novel translation as a continuation of his mission to connect China with the outside world. His website offers English translations of 40 novels, most of which are web literature, including Coiling Dragon, which was successful overseas.

    Each month, about 2 million visitors from 115 countries read the novels translated by Lai's team of 24, he said.

    Lai's family moved to the United States to pursue chemistry doctorates in 1986, three years after he was born.

    "They hoped I'd also study hard science," he said. "I chose political science instead."

    He spoke Mandarin as a child, but could not write Chinese. Still, he wanted to read more kung fu novels because he loved the films and TV series. He took three years of Chinese language classes at Berkeley, while translating and discussing Louis Cha's novels on SPCNET.

    "The most common expressions are hardest to translate," he said.

    Years of experience sharpened his language skills and enriched his understanding of China and kung fu, and he dramatically sped up the translation of Coiling Dragon.

    "The characters' Western names attract more English-language readers," he said.

    He was providing his service free of charge, but some readers began offering donations for quicker translations. Lai recognized an opportunity.

    "I did what I promised," he said. "This resulted in a virtuous - albeit exhausting - cycle of continuing to translate new chapters. More readers, more donations, more translations."

    Coiling Dragon has brought Chinese fantasy web novels "to the forefront" internationally, he added.

    Lai obtained the rights to do the translations of novels last year. His website is advertising-supported and provides a living, he said.

    Peking University online-literature researcher Ji Yunfei said Lai's team members can earn $10,000 a month, and expects that will increase.

    "Lai has established his operating model," Ji said.

    Lai said: "My dreams are big, but my methods are risky." The difficulty is getting published in the US, especially in print. "Also, web novels aren't simply entering the US market. They're forging a new market," he said.

    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
     
    潮喷大喷水系列无码久久精品| 日产无码1区2区在线观看| 最近中文字幕完整免费视频ww| 亚洲一区二区三区无码影院| 中文字幕无码精品亚洲资源网久久| 亚洲av中文无码| 无码国产色欲XXXXX视频| 人妻丰满熟妇无码区免费| 精品无码无人网站免费视频 | 色情无码WWW视频无码区小黄鸭 | 久久亚洲中文字幕精品一区| 亚洲欧美中文字幕| 国产色无码精品视频免费| 最近免费中文字幕中文高清| 99精品人妻无码专区在线视频区| 亚洲av无码片vr一区二区三区| 国产办公室秘书无码精品99| 国产aⅴ无码专区亚洲av麻豆| а中文在线天堂| 99久久无色码中文字幕人妻| 少妇无码太爽了不卡视频在线看| 久久久久久久久无码精品亚洲日韩 | 亚洲男人在线无码视频| 精品人妻系列无码天堂| 亚洲成A人片在线观看无码不卡| 无码欧精品亚洲日韩一区夜夜嗨| 日日摸日日踫夜夜爽无码| 国产啪亚洲国产精品无码 | 中文字幕在线视频网| 中文无码制服丝袜人妻av| 久久午夜无码鲁丝片午夜精品| 熟妇人妻中文a∨无码| 色欲香天天综合网无码| 久久久久亚洲AV无码专区网站 | 狠狠躁狠狠躁东京热无码专区| 无码性午夜视频在线观看| 无码国内精品人妻少妇| 无码精品国产VA在线观看DVD| 无码中文人妻在线一区二区三区| 亚洲AV无码久久| 久久久久久久久无码精品亚洲日韩|