Exploring Reader Perceptions of Translation Book Covers by Chinese &#x000c9;migr&#x000e9; Writers through Questionnaires

Long Li; Sixin Liao

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Journal of Translation Studies ›› 2025, Vol. 9 ›› Issue (1) : 13-48.

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Exploring Reader Perceptions of Translation Book Covers by Chinese Émigré Writers through Questionnaires

Long Li¹, Sixin Liao²

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Abstract

This study explores the intersection of Kress and van Leeuwen’s (1996) visual grammar and reader perceptions of the covers of Chinese-translated books, revealing both the complexity of reader perceptions and the explanatory powers of visual grammar in this under-researched context. The research firstly applies visual grammar to semiotically analyze ten covers of Chinese émigré literature translated from English to Chinese and subsequently investigates, via questionnaires, how sixty-five Chinese readers interpret key semiotic elements on the covers. Results from the semiotic analyzes and questionnaires confirm the utility of visual grammar in predicting reader interactions with translation book covers, particularly in terms of the represented dynamism as achieved within the ideational metafunction. However, misalignment between predictions and actual reader perceptions is revealed in terms of the social distance between human figures and viewers by an interpersonal metafunction analysis. Visual grammar proves less efficacious in predicting reader interactions than in determining how readers understand the representations on covers. The study discusses implications of these findings for applying visual grammar to multimodal translation and for designing effective translation book covers, advocating for designs that are both appealing and ethically inclusive of the translator’s name. This research sets the stage for further studies involving controlled semiotic variables and broader engagement with the design and reader communities.

Key words

book covers / Chinese émigré literature / multimodal translation studies / questionnaires / reception studies / visual grammar

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Long Li, Sixin Liao. Exploring Reader Perceptions of Translation Book Covers by Chinese Émigré Writers through Questionnaires[J]. Journal of Translation Studies. 2025, 9(1): 13-48

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