On 11 September 2026, Dandan Wei successfully defended their original dissertation Manipulation, Norms, and Habitus in Ken Liu’s Translation of Chinese Science Fiction: A Sociological Approach (supervisor: Prof. Dr. Arvi Sepp).
Abstract
This doctoral thesis examines Ken Liu’s translation of Chinese science fiction (SF/sci-fi) from a sociological perspective, offering close readings of The Three-Body Problems (2014), Death’s End (2016), and Invisible Planets (2016). It addresses the following three questions: 1. How does Liu’s cultural and professional identity shape his translation ideas to translate science fiction? 2. How does Liu render specific expressions and narratives in Chinese sci-fi works for the English-speaking audience? 3. How do broader contextual factors influence Liu’s translated work of Chinese SF? Methodologically, the core analytical framework draws on André Lefevere’s (1992a) notions of ideology, patronage, and poetics in the Manipulation Theory, which posits that all translation involves some degree of manipulation of the source text to conform to the target culture. This research also engages with Gideon Toury’s (1995) and Andrew Chesterman’s (1997) theories of ‘translation norms’ to support the poetics level, and supplements the concept of ‘translator habitus’ developed from Pierre Bourdieu’s (1990) sociological theory for the ideology level. These frameworks enable a comprehensive analysis that links translators’ textual choices to the broader social and cultural constraints shaping them. Through a systematic case-based analysis, this dissertation reaches two main conclusions: first, Liu’s sci-fi translation is influenced by the translator’s voice, articulated in prefaces, postscripts, and notes within the translated work, as well as in interviews outside the text; second, the examination of manipulative translation highlights textual and contextual constraints that privilege the target culture while striving to preserve the Chinese-specific social elements and literary value inherent in the original work.