What does this research mean for the field?

English translations of Shen Congwen's works mediate Xiangxi folk customs differently based on the specific type of custom and the translators' historically situated ethical orientations, which ultimately determines how local knowledge becomes intelligible to English-language readers. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To investigate how Xiangxi folk customs in Shen Congwen's fiction are mediated as local knowledge across different English translations and translator ethical orientations.

August 22, 2026International Journal of Applied Linguistics and TranslationOpen Access

Local Knowledge in Translation: Mediation and Ethical Orientation in English Translations of Shen Congwen

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To investigate how Xiangxi folk customs in Shen Congwen's fiction are mediated as local knowledge across different English translations and translator ethical orientations.
Analyzed three English translation versions across four publications of Shen Congwen’s The Husband and Biancheng by Ching Ti/Robert Payne, Gladys Yang, and Jeffrey C. Kinkley.
Categorized cultural elements based on Zhong Jingwen’s taxonomy of material, social, linguistic, and spiritual folk customs through the framework of intercultural mediation and translator ethics.
Material customs were translated via literal rendering or functional description, social customs required institutional relation reconstruction, linguistic customs depended on oral nuance and euphemism, and spiritual customs required preserving ritual coherence.
Ching Ti and Payne prioritized immediate readability, Yang balanced narrative fluency with selective clarification, and Kinkley emphasized descriptive expansion and paratextual explanation.
Translators' varying stylistic choices reflected distinct, historically situated ethical orientations governed by intended readerships and reception contexts.

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Implication

Comparative textual analysis reveals distinct ethical strategies across English translations of Shen Congwen's works, highlighting how mediation shapes the cross-cultural intelligibility of folk...

Cite This Study

Shan Su (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a895fe4ca7ade938187ee2b https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20261203.11

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Implication

Comparative textual analysis reveals distinct ethical strategies across English translations of Shen Congwen's works, highlighting how mediation shapes the cross-cultural intelligibility of folk...

Local Knowledge in Translation: Mediation and Ethical Orientation in English Translations of Shen Congwen

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Implication

Cite This Study

Local Knowledge in Translation: Mediation and Ethical Orientation in English Translations of Shen Congwen

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

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