Beyond non-translation and "self-translation" : English as lingua academica in China

For non-Anglophone scholars, there are essentially three language options, leading to: (1) untranslated publications in languages other than English; (2) research written in English, although some kind of “internal translation” has occurred to the author concerned; and (3) research translated into English by someone who serves as a mediator between the original text and the readers of the translation. The present paper analyzes the three choice made by Chinese scholars in the past two decades. The first category of these writings is produced by those who are unable to use English, or those who strive to resist Englishization. The second involves bilingual authors who are also “self-translators.” The third is by nature collaborative, with a monolingual author being helped, in most cases, by a professional translator. Specific reference will be made in this article to the shifting importance the third category has assumed in Chinese scholarship in the last decade but the main focus will be on the challenges faced by all non-Anglophone humanities scholars in attempting to publish in English.