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<p>This article examines the translation and promotion of contemporary Chinese children’s literature in the Anglophone market, a niche field characterised by low publication volumes and precarity. It presents a case study of the translator Helen Wang, analysing her work as a branded translator, cultural mediator and community builder to understand how an individual practitioner contributes to the visibility of literature from a less-commonly translated language. Integrating Actor-Network Theory (ANT) with key concepts from Children’s Literature and Translation Studies (CLTS), the study proposes and tests a three-phase model: (1) dynamic interaction, (2) cultural mediation, and (3) interpretive-community formation. Drawing from qualitative analysis of published interviews, side-by-side close reading of translated texts, and quantitative digital-network analytics, this study provides insights into the dynamics of cross-cultural literary exchange. The paper argues that in a small market, the translator often functions as a key node within a collaborative ecosystem of human and non-human actors, and mapping these networks is crucial to understanding how translated children's literature circulates at a modest scale.</p>

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From Niche to Noticed: Helen Wang and the Networks Bringing Chinese Children’s Books to an English Readership

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月1日

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  • Henry Y. W. Wang

摘要

This article examines the translation and promotion of contemporary Chinese children’s literature in the Anglophone market, a niche field characterised by low publication volumes and precarity. It presents a case study of the translator Helen Wang, analysing her work as a branded translator, cultural mediator and community builder to understand how an individual practitioner contributes to the visibility of literature from a less-commonly translated language. Integrating Actor-Network Theory (ANT) with key concepts from Children’s Literature and Translation Studies (CLTS), the study proposes and tests a three-phase model: (1) dynamic interaction, (2) cultural mediation, and (3) interpretive-community formation. Drawing from qualitative analysis of published interviews, side-by-side close reading of translated texts, and quantitative digital-network analytics, this study provides insights into the dynamics of cross-cultural literary exchange. The paper argues that in a small market, the translator often functions as a key node within a collaborative ecosystem of human and non-human actors, and mapping these networks is crucial to understanding how translated children's literature circulates at a modest scale.