ABSTRACT
Studies of translation effect are indispensable in improving the literary translation system and enhancing China's cultural soft power. To assess the translation effect of contemporary Chinese novels since the reform and opening up of China, this chapter employs a reader-based approach to investigate the translation and reception of works by three representative Chinese writers, namely Yu Hua, Jia Pingwa, and Mai Jia, in the United States, a major English-speaking country and the largest book market in the world. The evaluation of their translation effect is conducted mainly through library collections, Amazon book sales, and reader reviews of these works. The results reveal common features and problems in the translation effect of these works, with the dominant difference lying in readers’ reception. Based on these findings, this chapter offers several recommendations to address and mitigate these problems.
