Study on the Reception and Dissemination of the Brewitt-Taylor’ English Translation of Sanguo yanyi

Abstract

Sanguo yanyi, a masterpiece among Chinese historical novels, boasts profound historical, cultural, and artistic value. By applying the theory of reader acceptance, we gain insights into how foreign readers perceive, interpret culturally, and emotionally experience the English translation of this novel. This understanding further uncovers the work's impact and potential in international cultural exchange. Our research utilizes the Octopus Collector to gather reader reviews of Brewitt-Taylor's English translation of the novel titled Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Subsequently, we employ KHcoder for data analysis, adopting a mixed qualitative and quantitative approach to examine high-frequency words and semantic graphs. The findings indicate that, overall, overseas readers hold a positive emotional attitude towards Brewitt-Taylor's translation. In terms of emotional analysis, readers highly rate the translator and characters, followed by the plot and narrative. This suggests that, for the international dissemination of classics, the ideological content and inherent values of the works themselves are crucial factors influencing reader acceptance. Consequently, studying overseas readers' evaluations and acceptance of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" provides valuable insights for selecting translation strategies and promoting the international spread of Chinese literary classics.