Overseas reception of English translations of Journey to the West: Temporal dynamics, cross-platform sentiment patterns, and topic modeling.

Abstract

The overseas reception of classical literature through online platforms presents a critical lens for understanding cross-cultural dynamics in the digital age. This study investigates the overseas reception of English translations of Journey to the West by analyzing a corpus of 1,795 reviews from Amazon and Goodreads to examine temporal dynamics, cross-platform sentiment patterns, and topic modeling. The analysis covers four celebrated translators: Arthur Waley, Anthony C. Yu, Julia Lovell, and W.J.F. Jenner. Methodologically, we developed a hybrid sentiment lexicon by integrating a domain sentiment lexicon with AFINN, NRC, and VADER through weighted fusion, addressing the limited adaptability of general sentiment lexicons in translated literature analysis. LDA modeling was further applied to enable data-driven theme extraction. Key findings reveal a consistent year-on-year increase in review counts across all translations. Notably, despite an overall positive sentiment, significant cross-platform divergences emerge, reflecting the distinct evaluative mechanisms of digital platforms. Thematic analysis identifies three central reader concerns: translation quality, plot acceptance, and character portrayal, with plot acceptance exhibiting markedly higher negativity. Furthermore, translator-level analysis reveals performance variations across these themes. This study demonstrates how digital platforms reconfigure the valuation of literary translation, and pioneers a methodological framework for capturing the dynamic interplay between reader perception, media infrastructure, and textual mobility, offering new pathways for digital humanities research in translation studies.