Milan Kundera in Vietnam and China: The Translation Process as an Inter-cultural Dialogue

Dương Bảo Linh^1,

¹University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Cite this paper:
Dương Bảo Linh. Milan Kundera in Vietnam and China: The Translation Process as an Inter-cultural Dialogue. World Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. 2025; 11(2):33-40. doi: 10.12691/wjssh-11-2-3

Abstract

This paper compares the translation process of the same foreign author’s works in Vietnam and China. Although Milan Kundera is well-known in both countries, his legacy was translated through distinct approaches, corresponding to different processes of engagement. The translated publications in the two nations reveal the similarities and divergences in the internal dynamics of their respective literatures. Given the shared cultural and literary traditions, as well as similar processes of literary modernization, the differences in the two literatures' responses to the same phenomenon - including the timing of its introduction and the approach to its reception - are more clearly revealed. Beyond factors belonging to the translators, it is necessary to admit that extra-literary powers, specifically political institutions and diplomatic relations, influenced the choice of source texts and the circulation of the translated works. The findings of this study illustrate the way to integrate with global culture through the reception foreign literature, and simultaneously, provide a reference to the direction of sustainable development in the new rising era by fostering culture.

Keywords:
Milan Kundera translation literature reception comparative literature Vietnam China

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