ABSTRACT
In contemporary China, discussions of sexual and gender diversity often receive uneven visibility in mainstream cultural and knowledge settings. Against this backdrop, translation can function as an important channel through which relevant texts and ideas circulate among interested readerships. This chapter centers on Liao Aiwan 廖愛晚 (Karen Liao), a freelance queer translator in China, and explores their role in translating queer-related texts through textual and paratextual analysis. Textually, this chapter examines how Liao’s interpretation of the original queer-related text effectively conveys its meaning in translation. Paratextually, it analyzes the prefaces of the translations and the reviews of the translations on Douban, an interest-based social networking platform in China, to reveal the translation medium as fostering emotional connections between the author, the translator, and the reader. This chapter highlights how a queer translator’s agency, enacted through translation choices and paratextual framing, supports the circulation and reception of queer-themed ideas. In light of the uneven public visibility of sexual and gender minorities in mainstream culture, such translations offer a valuable lens for tracing how queer knowledge is circulated and received in China.
搜譯者廖愛晚的時候，也發現了中國跨性別者的故事 [While searching for information about the translator Liao Aiwan, I also discovered the stories of transgender in China]. 1
— Comment from a reader on Douban
