On the Reconstruction of Shi Qiang's Police Image in the English Translation of The Three-Body Problem II: The Dark Forest

In the English translation of The Three-Body Problem II:The Dark Forest, Joel Martinsen, the translator, employs such strategies as streamlining the expression of dialects and reinforcing professional characteristics while simultaneously retaining Shi Qiang's core characteristics. In this way, he manages to transform the "ill-behaved policeman" in the original Chinese version into the "resolute detective" to get it accepted by English readers. Instead of the simple transformation of languages, the reconstruction of his image articulates a translator's deep understanding of what is essential as to the original characters as well as the precise consideration of what is expected from the targeted readers and market. As a result, this adapted strategy in cross-cultural communication has important implications for understanding creative transformation in literary translation.