A Study on the Construction of the Other in the English Translation of Mai Jia’s Decoded

In 2014, Mai Jia’s novel Decoded was simultaneously released in multiple English-speaking countries, with the version by Penguin Books in the UK even being included in the Penguin Classics series. Mai Jia thus became the first contemporary Chinese author to be featured in this prestigious library.[1] This paper focuses on the English translation of Decoded by Olivia Milburn and Christopher Payne, employing the theory of imagology to examine the variations in the portrayal of the other in the translated version and the reasons behind them. The study reveals that the translators predominantly utilize strategies of alienation and literal translation, integrating the other with the cultural features of the target language. However, this integration to some extent diminishes the cultural nuances of the original work, and the reconstruction of the other is a result of the translators’ influence from their own social collective imaginary, as well as their emotions, attitudes, and imagination.