The reception of Chinese translated literature and cinema : a persistent metonymy

The reception of translated cultural products is a key element to understand translation dynamics. The success of a certain product (and its translation) might condition the possibilities of importing further products of a similar nature to a specific culture. In the case of Chinese literature and cinema translated in Spain, most research up to date has focused on case studies, so we still know very little about its overall reception in quantitative terms. This paper presents two open-access databases about Chinese literature and cinema translated in Spain (Rovira-Esteva et al. 2019-2021; Casas-Tost et al. 2019-2021). The database on literature comprises more than 700 entries, ranging from the first translation appeared in the 16th century to the latest releases. The impact of certain literary works through their different editions and translations will be explored, considering also the reviews and other epitexts compiled, as well as the number of editions we are aware of. The database on cinema contains more than 1000 entries and compiles from the first films that were screened in the 1970s to the last motion pictures that have been shown in festivals or digital platforms. We will focus on the most relevant genres and directors, as well as the most screened films according to information extracted from festivals, cinemas and streaming platforms, among other. These analyses will illustrate with specific examples how the databases can be used to track the reception of certain translated literary works or films. We will also discuss how the recurrent retranslation or reedition of some works of philosophy or rescreening of some cult movies of laureated directors affects global figures when considering the reception of Chinese-Spanish translation. This, in turn, contributes to the reinforcement of the recurring images of the Chinese other, thus failing to represent the Chinese reality in all its richness and complexity