Paratexts in the English translation of contemporary science fiction — A case study of Waste Tide

Abstract

In recent years, Chinese science fiction has gained international recognition through works like The Three-Body Problem and Beijing Fold, winning the prestigious Hugo Award. This increased influence highlights the need for research on sci-fi translation. However, current studies primarily focus on translation strategies in the works of Liu Cixin and Hao Jinfang, overlooking other sci-fi writers. This study aims to address this gap by examining the paratext of Waste Tide, written by Chen Qiufan, a prominent figure in the Chinese sci-fi community. Taking the paratext of Ken Liu’s English translation of Waste Tide as the main research object, this paper will employ the concept of Genet’s paratext, to explore the peritext (the cover, annotation and prefaces) and epitext (Ken Liu’s interviews, recommendations from publishers and book reviews by critics and readers) in science fiction translation. Therefore, we can have a glimpse on how these paratexts help Chinese science gain popularity among the English-speaking readers and provide valuable insights for the future translation of a greater number of Chinese indigenous science fiction novels.