Television culture

Author: (USA) John Fiske
Translator: Qi A-hong, Zhang Kun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: This is an in-depth introductory book on television studies. It adopts a viewer-centered research method, analyzing some well-known American TV series such as MASH, Professional, Dallas, The A-Team, and Miami Vice, among others. It also touches on magazines (e.g., Playboy, Vogue), films (e.g., The Drop), and celebrities (e.g., Madonna), as well as examining game shows (e.g., Family Feud, The Price Is Right). It delves into the complex cultural processes that endow television programs with multiple meanings, addressing questions such as: What kind of television programs do specific audiences watch, and why? Why has television so deeply integrated into social life? Since its publication in 1987, this book has been reprinted eight times. Some scholars predict that it is destined to become a classic in the field of television studies. This book can serve as both supplementary teaching material and reference for university communication department faculty and students, as well as provide valuable insights for scholars studying literature, film, and news reporting.
Postscript: Fiske is hailed as the founder of popular culture studies. From the 1980s to the early 1990s, he wrote a series of works on popular culture, including Understanding Popular Culture, Interpreting Television, Interpreting Advertisements, Introduction to Communication Studies, and Australian Myths. Television Culture was the last of these published during that period. For us, who possess only basic foreign language knowledge but lack specialized expertise, translating the works of the "master" scholar John Fiske has undoubtedly been a great challenge. During the translation process, we encountered difficulties and challenges but also learned a great deal. Now, the Chinese translation of Television Culture has finally been presented to readers, and we are very pleased. In the past, after completing a translation, we could still offer personal insights or comments in the translator's note or postscript, though they might have been just a small perspective. However, this time, we have much to reflect on but are unsure how to begin, or perhaps we lack the ability to offer any commentary. In the translation process, we added footnotes for some background information that we believed might affect understanding. We hope these are not superfluous but will be helpful to readers. The book involves the names of over a hundred films, TV shows, and publications. Some of these have verifiable translations, while others are direct translations based on literal meanings. A few film titles were adapted from Hong Kong and Taiwan translations, and some of these are included as footnotes for reference. The translation of names follows existing conventions where applicable, primarily referencing the Handbook of Translating World Names by the Chemical Industry Press. Additionally, we verified names, titles, and some academic terms online, only to find that online translations are highly inconsistent—for example, the surname "Fiske" is translated as both "" and "," and the surname of the French semiotician Barthes is translated as both "" and "." In film and TV translations, variations are even more diverse, with some translations being quite unconventional, seemingly driven by the desire to attract audiences. For instance, The A-Team was translated as The A-Team, and Rambo as The Drop. We followed the principle of "convention" in these cases. The publication of this translation is undoubtedly beneficial to research on television and media in China. However, we worry that our knowledge level may not be sufficient to accurately and perfectly convey the author's original intent, and some technical terms may be translated inaccurately. We hope scholars and experts in sociology, culture, and communication will kindly point out any errors or issues in the translation.
Chapters 1 to 9 were translated by Qi A-hong of Nanjing Institute of Politics, and chapters 10 to 16 were translated by Zhang Kun of Shanghai Second Military Medical University. The overall editing was handled by Qi A-hong. Before finalizing the translation, Cheng Ning, who assisted in proofreading some sections while studying at Nanjing Institute of Politics, contributed to the translation process, for which we express our sincere gratitude. Before the final draft, eight doctoral students at Nanjing Institute of Politics—Shen Genhua, Wang Lujun, and others—read two chapters each to help identify issues. We are deeply grateful for their efforts.
Qi A-hong & Zhang Kun
April 6, 2004