ArticleProfiles in Translation and Intercultural Communication http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.11.026
Dr. Karen Gernant, a Translator of Contemporary Chinese Literature
Feng Lin1,*, Feng Yue2
1School of Foreign Languages, Fuzhou University of International Studies and Trade, Fuzhou 350202, Fujian, China.
2College of Foreign Language, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, Fujian, China.
*Corresponding author: Feng Lin
Published: November 30,2025
Abstract
Dr. Karen Gernant, a professor of Chinese history at Southern Oregon University in the United States, arrived in China in 1979 and after some time taught in two universities. As it was at the dawn of China’s Reform and Opening-up, she helped establish connections between universities in the two countries and helped a number of Chinese people. She was awarded the first “Friendship Award” by the Fujian Provincial People’s Government for her outstanding contributions to promoting China-U.S. exchanges. Then Karen began translating contemporary Chinese literature with the collaboration of Chen Zeping, a Chinese Professor of linguistics. Through combined efforts, she published translations of 78 Chinese novels, among which 65 were Can Xue’s books. Easily understood, culturally loaded and linguistically beautiful is her well-liked translation of contemporary Chinese literature. She has deep feelings for China, where she led a frugal and diligent life, finding joy in helping others without ever asking for anything in return. Even well into her eighties and back in the U.S., she continued to enjoy the challenge of translating without cease.
Keywords
Karen Gernant; contemporary Chinese literature; translator
References
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Copyright
© 2025 by the author(s).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not modified or adapted.
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How to cite this paper
Dr. Karen Gernant, a Translator of Contemporary Chinese Literature
How to cite this paper: Feng Lin, Feng Yue. (2025). Dr. Karen Gernant, a Translator of Contemporary Chinese Literature. Translation and Foreign Language Learning, 1(4), 749-752.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.11.026