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The Chinese version of the British writer J. K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy hit shelves across the country in fall last year， ahead of much anticipation following the success of her Harry Potter series.
However， Ren Zhan， one of two translators who helped rework the novel into Mandarin， said readers who expected similarities to the magical Potter book， would be disappointed， as the focus is more adult and reality orientated. Ren is now an editor at Shanghai 99 Readers’Culture Co. Ltd.
Sales volume has failed to meet original expectations. According to the Beijing Youth Daily， two months since the novel first appeared， only 500，000 from a first supply of 600，000 were sold. Nonetheless， it topped the local best-seller list for weeks.
According to reader comments on Douban. com， some voiced disappointment regarding the novel’s complete departure from Harry Potter， while others hailed Rowling’s change of genre as a success， featuring a higher literary standard.
“The novel touches upon the dark side of human nature. It’s depressing and doesn’t offer any solution by the end，” Ren said. “It symbolizes Rowling’s movement from children’s literature to adult readership.”
Working for a Shanghai-based publishing company as an editor responsible for introducing foreign literary works into China， Ren has translated works such as Daniel Defoe’s （1660-1731） Robinson Crusoe， Stephen King’s Just After Sunset and Paul Hoffman’s The Left Hand of God in her spare time.
“It’s like a word game. Although I don’t write anything new， I am recreating the original works through translation.”
Translating The Casual Vacancy
Ren’s experience translating The Casual Vacancy differed from her previous attempts in that she worked on the novel in Britain， after local copyright was secured by the Beijing-based People’s Literature Publishing House and her own company. She was subsequently sent to London to work alongside Xiang Dingding， a teacher from Fudan University in Shanghai.
Besides the two Chinese translators， only their French， German and Dutch counterparts were permitted to start working on the story three months before its English release， underscoring the importance of the Chinese market. The local version saw light three weeks after the English version， becoming the first translation of the work to appear in Asia.
“I gained a deeper understanding of the novel by translating it in the country where the characters themselves reside，” Ren explained. With its release scheduled for October 20， she only received the manuscript in July， necessitating the translation of 5，000 words per day.
“I had to focus every second，” Ren admitted.
She and Xiang became the first Chinese to glimpse the content of the new novel， signing a contract with Rowling’s agent to prohibit disclosure.
Having majored in English， Ren long dreamed of visiting the United Kingdom， the birthplace of many great writers. However， she had little time to explore while working on the book， viewing London mostly from her window.
An avid reader
“Rowling’s language is simple and very easy to understand. I had to look up much related to British culture though，” Ren said.
Ren’s broad exposure to both Chinese and foreign literature prepared her well for a life in translation and editing. Her favorite authors include contemporary Chinese such as Lao She （1899-1966） and Lu Xun （1881-1936）， Czech-French Milan Kundera， Austrian Stefan Zweig （1881-1942） and British David Lodge.
She conducted a post-graduate program in English literature at Fudan University， where her graduation thesis focused on American writer Toni Morrison.
“I also loved Lodge’s Changing Places： A Tale of Two Campuses and Small World： An Academic Romance， which satirize academic life and are very funny，” Ren said.
Despite her regard for English， Ren remains deeply enthralled by Chinese writing.
“Your proficiency in Chinese decides the translation quality from English，” she explained.“It’s enough to understand the latter， but to ensure smooth Chinese you need to read a lot of local works.”
“It’s not easy to translate. You should remain loyal to the original text while simultaneously using your own language to convey the initial concept.”
Working during the day and caring for a baby daughter after work， she only has time to read on the subway， preferring Chinese versions of English novels.
“The essence of reading is pleasure. I feel more comfortable reading in Chinese.”
Translators’ status
Due to meager pay， Ren translates merely out of personal interest， making on average only 60 yuan （$9.63） for every 1，000 Chinese characters.
She said most translators are idealists who work for passion， not money.
With information easily found on TV or the Internet， only a small minority still reads， Ren noted. Profits of some books barely reach 10，000 yuan （$1，605）， with publishers suffering financial loss.
Great literary works receive little attention， except when adapted for film. Cloud Atlas and The Hobbit both became bestsellers thanks to their cinema debuts while the great French novel Les Misérables， written by Victor Hugo（1802-85） in the 19th century， only grabbed public attention after it was released on screen in 2012.
Because of low pay， most translators work part-time and seldom have the necessary time to ensure the quality of work.
According to a Translators Association of China report in 2012， the number of professional translators barely reached 30，000 across the country. Such a lack of qualified professionals has severely impeded industry development.
Current translators also face repeated criticism. As English becomes popular in China， readers who already have a firm grasp of the language are prone to lash out over inferior work. Nevertheless， the accuracy of translations today is much better than in the past thanks mainly to the Internet as a reference source.
As an editor herself， Ren often hires her own translators who sometimes produce poor work， causing her much frustration.
To guarantee quality， she mostly hires university English professors who have conducted extensive research and have a good mastery of the language， as well as the availed time to work diligently.
Ren admits she has few future plans for translation， as her time is swallowed up by both her family and work obligations.
“I have to work to support myself and my family. Translation alone can’t help me earn a decent living.” Ren said her husband is a doctor and supports her work as long as she is happy.
However， Ren Zhan， one of two translators who helped rework the novel into Mandarin， said readers who expected similarities to the magical Potter book， would be disappointed， as the focus is more adult and reality orientated. Ren is now an editor at Shanghai 99 Readers’Culture Co. Ltd.
Sales volume has failed to meet original expectations. According to the Beijing Youth Daily， two months since the novel first appeared， only 500，000 from a first supply of 600，000 were sold. Nonetheless， it topped the local best-seller list for weeks.
According to reader comments on Douban. com， some voiced disappointment regarding the novel’s complete departure from Harry Potter， while others hailed Rowling’s change of genre as a success， featuring a higher literary standard.
“The novel touches upon the dark side of human nature. It’s depressing and doesn’t offer any solution by the end，” Ren said. “It symbolizes Rowling’s movement from children’s literature to adult readership.”
Working for a Shanghai-based publishing company as an editor responsible for introducing foreign literary works into China， Ren has translated works such as Daniel Defoe’s （1660-1731） Robinson Crusoe， Stephen King’s Just After Sunset and Paul Hoffman’s The Left Hand of God in her spare time.
“It’s like a word game. Although I don’t write anything new， I am recreating the original works through translation.”
Translating The Casual Vacancy
Ren’s experience translating The Casual Vacancy differed from her previous attempts in that she worked on the novel in Britain， after local copyright was secured by the Beijing-based People’s Literature Publishing House and her own company. She was subsequently sent to London to work alongside Xiang Dingding， a teacher from Fudan University in Shanghai.
Besides the two Chinese translators， only their French， German and Dutch counterparts were permitted to start working on the story three months before its English release， underscoring the importance of the Chinese market. The local version saw light three weeks after the English version， becoming the first translation of the work to appear in Asia.
“I gained a deeper understanding of the novel by translating it in the country where the characters themselves reside，” Ren explained. With its release scheduled for October 20， she only received the manuscript in July， necessitating the translation of 5，000 words per day.
“I had to focus every second，” Ren admitted.
She and Xiang became the first Chinese to glimpse the content of the new novel， signing a contract with Rowling’s agent to prohibit disclosure.
Having majored in English， Ren long dreamed of visiting the United Kingdom， the birthplace of many great writers. However， she had little time to explore while working on the book， viewing London mostly from her window.
An avid reader
“Rowling’s language is simple and very easy to understand. I had to look up much related to British culture though，” Ren said.
Ren’s broad exposure to both Chinese and foreign literature prepared her well for a life in translation and editing. Her favorite authors include contemporary Chinese such as Lao She （1899-1966） and Lu Xun （1881-1936）， Czech-French Milan Kundera， Austrian Stefan Zweig （1881-1942） and British David Lodge.
She conducted a post-graduate program in English literature at Fudan University， where her graduation thesis focused on American writer Toni Morrison.
“I also loved Lodge’s Changing Places： A Tale of Two Campuses and Small World： An Academic Romance， which satirize academic life and are very funny，” Ren said.
Despite her regard for English， Ren remains deeply enthralled by Chinese writing.
“Your proficiency in Chinese decides the translation quality from English，” she explained.“It’s enough to understand the latter， but to ensure smooth Chinese you need to read a lot of local works.”
“It’s not easy to translate. You should remain loyal to the original text while simultaneously using your own language to convey the initial concept.”
Working during the day and caring for a baby daughter after work， she only has time to read on the subway， preferring Chinese versions of English novels.
“The essence of reading is pleasure. I feel more comfortable reading in Chinese.”
Translators’ status
Due to meager pay， Ren translates merely out of personal interest， making on average only 60 yuan （$9.63） for every 1，000 Chinese characters.
She said most translators are idealists who work for passion， not money.
With information easily found on TV or the Internet， only a small minority still reads， Ren noted. Profits of some books barely reach 10，000 yuan （$1，605）， with publishers suffering financial loss.
Great literary works receive little attention， except when adapted for film. Cloud Atlas and The Hobbit both became bestsellers thanks to their cinema debuts while the great French novel Les Misérables， written by Victor Hugo（1802-85） in the 19th century， only grabbed public attention after it was released on screen in 2012.
Because of low pay， most translators work part-time and seldom have the necessary time to ensure the quality of work.
According to a Translators Association of China report in 2012， the number of professional translators barely reached 30，000 across the country. Such a lack of qualified professionals has severely impeded industry development.
Current translators also face repeated criticism. As English becomes popular in China， readers who already have a firm grasp of the language are prone to lash out over inferior work. Nevertheless， the accuracy of translations today is much better than in the past thanks mainly to the Internet as a reference source.
As an editor herself， Ren often hires her own translators who sometimes produce poor work， causing her much frustration.
To guarantee quality， she mostly hires university English professors who have conducted extensive research and have a good mastery of the language， as well as the availed time to work diligently.
Ren admits she has few future plans for translation， as her time is swallowed up by both her family and work obligations.
“I have to work to support myself and my family. Translation alone can’t help me earn a decent living.” Ren said her husband is a doctor and supports her work as long as she is happy.