“I was subjected to cringe translation”: Digital Social Reading and the Reception of Translated Young Adult Fantasy Fiction

Abstract

As digital technologies continue to expand, it becomes increasingly important to explore the evolving relationship between participatory culture and translated literary works. On digital social reading platforms like Goodreads, readers play a significant role in the reception of translated literature and engagement with literature from diverse cultural backgrounds. Digital social reading platforms, like other social media, are frequently used by young people. Therefore, this study delves into the reception of the Turkish translation of the popular young adult fantasy fiction series A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, a work that offers insights into the emotional journeys of young adults within the realm of fantasy. To this end, an inductive content analysis has been carried out on the Turkish Goodreads comments on the first three books of the series. Following the analysis, it was found that while the reception of Turkish readers is similar to the general ratings, there are some discrepancies. Also, social media posts constitute a factor in the reader reception as they contain spoilers, distorting the expectations of readers. Furthermore, the characteristics of the genre can have a negative impact due to the disparities between the source and target cultures