Canadian Comet of Thought Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) was one of the most original media theorists of the 20th century and is known as the most important thinker of the 20th century. However, McLuhan's works use a lot of puns, and the writing is obscure and difficult to understand, making it difficult for even native English speakers to read. This is not unrelated to McLuhan's personal experience.
McLuhan was born in Canada in 1911. He enrolled in the University of Manitoba to study engineering in 1928, but transferred to the literature major the following year. He graduated four years later with a bachelor's degree in English and philosophy, and a year later received a master's degree in these two majors and went to study at the University of Cambridge in England. During this period, he was influenced by various British literati, such as Mansfield Forbes, whose passion for word games and puns became the hallmarks of McLuhan's life.
McLuhan | Baidu Pictures
In 1939, McLuhan went to the University of Cambridge again to study for a doctorate in English language and literature, and received a doctorate in literature in 1943. McLuhan obtained a total of five degrees in his life and completed several major academic shifts: engineering – literature – philosophy – literary criticism – social criticism – popular culture studies – media studies, and eventually became a giant in the field of communication studies.
However, McLuhan's heyday coincided with the civil strife of the "Cultural Revolution" in mainland China, and the academic community should be said to have no knowledge of his related research. Because at that time it was impossible to obtain the latest foreign literature, and no scholars came forward to translate his works. Twenty years after the heyday of McLuhan research, Chinese scholars began to come into contact with his thoughts sporadically through some foreign literature. There are many reasons why McLuhan's translation has not been published in mainland China. One of the key factors is that McLuhan is too difficult to understand.
He Daokuan has a deep understanding of this: "The reason why he is difficult lies in two aspects. First, about 70% of his thoughts are completely new. He is a prophet and has to wait for a new generation to understand; second, his style is obscure. Let me use literary language to discuss it. "Scientific subject matter, how can it not be obscure? His thoughts are vast and unruly, his writing is unbridled, his references are profound, and his references are complicated. How can he not make people complain endlessly!" But in order to let more Chinese readers contact and understand McLuhan, He Daokuan faced the difficulties.
He Daokuan | Shenzhen University WeChat public account
In the mid-1990s, after He Daokuan was transferred from Sichuan International Studies University to Shenzhen University, he gradually became a leader in the disciplines of English language and literature, translation studies, communication studies, and cross-cultural communication. After his retirement in 2002, he focused on translation work and has published more than 20 million words of academic translations to date, not counting various textbooks and treatises.
The first Chinese translation of "Understanding Media" was published by Sichuan People's Publishing House in January 1992. Because no one could understand McLuhan at that time, not only the publishing house was not optimistic about it, but the market did not respond, and it was basically "annihilated". The second edition was published by the Commercial Press in 2000 and was named one of the "300 Most Influential Books in the 30 Years of Reform and Opening Up" in 2009. The third edition was published by Yilin Publishing House in 2011. It was an expanded commentary and marked the second leap in the study of McLuhan. It also coincided with the 100th anniversary of McLuhan's birth and had a great impact. Yilin Publishing House published the 55th anniversary expanded edition of the book in 2019.
He Daokuan's translation of McLuhan has been highly recognized by the Chinese communication academic circle. First, because He's introduction to Western communication works is not only systematic but also keeps pace with the times. Second, because He's translation is of high quality and has a distinctive personal style.
These advantages all come from his own cultural background, from his translation and research, and from his research to promote translation, so his translation is unique and his research is rich. At the same time, He Daokuan was born in an English major and has many years of experience in cross-cultural communication research. He started as a translator and became a research expert in the subject he translated.
He Daokuan also has his own opinions on McLuhan. In an article commemorating the centenary of McLuhan's birth, he wrote: "Human beings are often unaware of the impact of media. McLuhan likes to quote Narcissus, a Narcissus who died of narcissism, numbness and haggardness in Greek mythology, to arouse the world's vigilance against technology. The environment is the profound influence of the media. When we study McLuhan, we must stand at the forefront of the technological revolution with an advanced and postmodern consciousness, ride the stormy waves, and sail this little Noah's Ark to the unknown shore."
He Daokuan | Baidu Pictures
Since the translation and publication of the first McLuhan work in 1992, He Daokuan has been the leader in the translation and research of McLuhan's works in China. Up to now, He Daokuan has contributed to readers a total of 16 McLuhan's books or research works on McLuhan (including 2 reprints), making an important contribution to the dissemination of McLuhan in the country.
