As a representative of modernist literature, Kafka's works have been disseminated worldwide through translation, becoming a common cultural treasure of the world. In China, the translation and classicization of Kafka's works have gone through four stages: the marginal stage from the 1920s to the 1950s, the transitional stage from the 1960s to the 1970s, the central stage from the 1980s to the end of the 20th century, and the classicization stage from 2001 to the present. Each stage of translation and research reflects the cultural context and literary trends of a specific historical period, reflecting the dynamic changes in the status and influence of literary works in different cultural systems.

The Invisible Edge Zone: The Misunderstood Kafka

From the 1920s to the 1950s, Kafka's translation in China was in its early stages and was often misunderstood, even mistaken for a German writer. Before Kafka's death in 1924, Shen Yanbing had already introduced him in newspapers and magazines. In 1928, Sun Juegong classified Kafka as an expressionist writer in his "Literary Dictionary". In the 1930s and 1950s, Kafka's name appeared multiple times in Chinese books and magazines, but the introduction was limited. In 1948, Ye Rulian translated Kafka's diary into French. When Kafka first entered China, he was often misunderstood, such as Shen Yanbing mistakenly translating him as "Kaska" and Zhao Jingshen mistakenly referring to him as a German mystery novelist. Zhao Jiabi, Zheng Boqi, carpenter and Zhou Shenjie also mistook Kafka for German. In the 1920s to 1950s, the translation and introduction of Kafka's works in China mainly came from the introductions of writers, the diary translations of French translators, and the comments of German translators, lacking complete translations. Kafka's works are also on the edge of the source language culture. At the same time, there has been a wave of publishing Kafka's works in the English speaking world.

2 Silent Transition Zone: The "Gate of Translation and Introduction" Slightly Opened

In the mid to late 1960s, China began translating Kafka's novels, mainly through translations by the Muir couple or based on German editions edited by Brod. In 1966, Li Wenjun and Cao Yong translated "The Trial and Others", which for the first time comprehensively introduced Kafka, but only for internal distribution. In the 1960s and 1970s, China's translation and introduction of Kafka mainly focused on "translation" rather than "introduction", and was in a stage of "translation without introduction", with limited influence. After the resumption of World Literature in 1978, research papers on Kafka began to be published one after another. In 1979, Li Wenjun's translated book "Metamorphoses" was published, introducing Kafka's works, which were included in the textbook. But at that time, Kafka was regarded as a representative of decadent and pathological literature in China, and his works were not widely popular. Compared with the trend of studying Kafka abroad, the translation and introduction of Kafka in China lags behind. However, Kafka's identity as a representative Western writer has been recognized, and research has transitioned from the "periphery" to the "center".

The central area with three "sounds and shapes": Kafka's translation fever

In the 1980s, the translation and research of Kafka in China were led by Mr. Ye Tingfang, who edited and published multiple works of Kafka, including "On Kafka" and "Complete Works of Kafka", providing rich materials for the study of Kafka in China. The rise of Kafka's translation fever is attributed to Liu Mingjiu's redefinition of Kafka's identity, as well as the support of "sponsors" such as the government and publishing houses. The characteristics of translating Chinese Kafka include: translation based on English background, German translators as the main force, organized and planned translation, consideration of foreign perspectives, and rapid rise of research. The rapid development of the dissemination and acceptance of Kafka's works in China has formed a group of translators, readers, and researchers, promoting the process of Kafka's classicization in China. At the same time, English translations based on Kafka's works have been published one after another, demonstrating the interaction and gap in Kafka research both domestically and internationally.

4 Classics Stage: Multidimensional Translation and Criticism Research

Between 2000 and 2022, the translation and study of Kafka's works in China entered a stage of classicization, with a surge in book publishing and an increase in translator collaborations, resulting in an increase in the number of translated and related works. The research monograph "The Simple Thing of Living" has been published, exploring Kafka's ideas and philosophy of life. Master's and doctoral students have become the main force of research, with a wide range of research fields and non foreign language professionals dominating. Translation criticism research is active, focusing on mistranslation issues and translation strategies, emphasizing the need for translators to possess literary literacy and cultural background knowledge. The translation and research of Kafka in China are becoming more diversified, multidimensional, mature, and deepened, and the process of classicization is accelerating. However, compared with foreign countries, the time span is longer and the process is slower.

5 Conclusion

In 2024, one hundred years after Kafka's death, the translation and reception of his works in China went through four stages: marginal zone, transitional zone, central zone, and classicization stage. Despite misunderstandings and ideological influences, each stage promoted the classicization of Kafka's works. Compared with the English speaking world, the development of translation and research in China is slow, limited by the number of German speaking and bilingual scholars. The translation criticism of Kafka's works has not yet reached a deep and international level.