Commercial considerations: A reason for retranslating—An exploration of the 1990s retranslation upsurge in mainland China

摘要

This paper explores the reasons for the translation boom in the 1990s in mainland China. During the period, foreign literatures translated into Chinese prospered, together with native Chinese literature. A considerable part of the translations was the retranslation of world classics, especially literary classics. The reasons for the prosperity of retranslating in the period seem to lie in the following three aspects: good fame of contemporary Chinese literature, brand-name effect and commercial considerations.