I asked you to write a light novel, but you wrote about living?

"What???"

Carter really lost his composure this time.

His hand holding the coffee froze in mid-air, and for the first time, a look of astonishment appeared in his gray-blue eyes.

"The Old Man and the Sea"?

What is the English translation of "The Old Man and the Sea"?

Should we just use the English book title?

Carter's position as the regional director of Microlight's West Coast region certainly indicates he's not a slow-witted person.

After the initial shock subsided, he quickly realized the meaning behind Chang Liren's words.

He was very clear about the current situation in the Eastern Region.

Capital has completely muddied the waters of "The Old Man and the Sea" in an attempt to praise Yu Wen to the point of ruin.

Carter slowly put down his coffee cup, his playful tone disappearing.

"Chang, I think I understand your line of thinking."

"The Eastern region has been disrupted by capital, and the Chinese title has now become a burden. If we use the English version directly and release it in the West Coast region, we can at least avoid the keyword pollution there and give the book a relatively clean starting point."

Chang Liren did not deny it.

That's what I mean.

"But I'm not too optimistic."

Carter was very direct.

Chang Liren remained silent for a moment.

Carter continued:

"I'm not saying Mr. Yu is incapable; on the contrary, I am clearer than ever now that he can write truly substantial works."

"But you've seen the feedback on 'To Live' as well."

"That's not a failed book. In fact, in my opinion, it has gone further than expected on the West Coast, but it still hasn't really crossed that threshold. Readers acknowledge that it's good, that it's special, and that it's not something AI could write, but in the end, they still stop at that one sentence."

"It is not our civilization."

Carter pointed to the most upvoted comment on the screen.

"This is not a negative review."

"This is the most troublesome part."

"Because they spoke very seriously and honestly."

Chang Liren remained silent.

Carter spoke slowly but clearly.

"If Mr. Yu's next book is still a work with a strong Eastern context, then even if it avoids the backlash from the traffic generated by capital in the Eastern region, it will still encounter another wall when it reaches the West Coast."

"And this time, the risks may be even greater than with 'To Live'."

Chang Liren frowned.

Why?

"Because West Coast readers have just read To Live."

Carter said:

"Their impression of Mr. Yu has already been formed."

"Eastern writers, narratives of suffering, old-era civilization, cultural barriers."

"If the next book comes out right away, especially if it's in English and advertised as being primarily aimed at the West Coast, they're likely to react negatively."

He paused here, then changed to a more straightforward way of putting it.

"Simply put, they'll think, 'We just finished reading a book called "Not Our Civilization," and now you're sending us another one?'"

That's a very unpleasant statement.

But Chang Liren knew that Carter wasn't trying to dampen enthusiasm.

He was talking about the market.

It's also referring to the readers.

After a moment of silence, Chang Liren gently exhaled.

"And I share that same worry."

He looked at Carter on the other side of the screen, his voice lowering slightly.

"It's already quite an achievement that 'To Live' has reached the West Coast. To write another one, especially in the East where capital has stirred things up like this, I know the risks are huge."

Cardi nodded.

"Therefore, if the only goal is to avoid a backlash in traffic, my advice is to postpone it."

"Wait until the pollution fever in the Eastern region subsides, until those copycat articles by capitalists rot away on their own, and until readers' fatigue with the words 'The Old Man and the Sea' wears off, then we'll republish it."

"Even if we want to go to the West Coast, we can wait."

"At least don't run into the line of fire."

Chang Liren raised his eyes.

"But what Professor Yu Wen means is now."

Carter frowned slightly.

Chang Liren continued:

"Moreover, adapting 'The Old Man and the Sea' into an English version and starting with the West Coast region was also his idea."

Carter paused, looking at Chang Liren with an even more serious expression than before.

"Chang, this isn't a problem with Chinese-English translation."

"I know."

Chang Liren answered just as earnestly.

Carter said:

"Simply changing the title from 'The Old Man and the Sea' to 'The Old Man and the Sea' and translating the text into English won't solve the core problem."

"Language can be changed, but cultural background cannot."

"West Coast readers don't lack the ability to understand English. What they can't get into is that they don't see it as their own experience."

"To Live has proven this."

Chang Liren remained silent for a long time.

The light screen in the office flickered slightly, like two spaces separated by an ocean, forcibly superimposed by a thin layer of data light film.

Finally, Chang Liren slowly said:

"Let's take a gamble."

Carter did not speak immediately.

Chang Liren continued:

"He could write a book like 'To Live,' so there's no way he wouldn't have thought of the problems we can think of."

"Cultural barriers, reader backlash, West Coast acceptance, and traffic pollution from the capital side... He must know these things better than we do."

"But he still chose to do it."

"That means the book he has might be different from what we think."

Upon hearing this, Carter's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

He was not immediately convinced.

But he admitted that Chang Liren's last statement made sense.

Yu Wen is not a reckless person.

At the very least, someone who could write "To Live" couldn't possibly be unaware of the invisible wall between readers and culture.

Moreover, Chang Li-ren had already sent him the West Coast feedback for "To Live," and Yu Wen must have seen it as well.

Even knowing that the phrase "not our civilization" had become the most upvoted comment on the West Coast, Yu Wen still wanted to push his next book forward.

This matter in itself deserves Carter's serious attention.

After a moment, Carter slowly nodded.

"it is good."

"If this is Mr. Yu's judgment, I am willing to hear it."

Chang Liren's expression relaxed slightly.

Carter asked:

"When should I start translating?"

Chang Liren shook his head.

"Not for now."

Carter was taken aback.

"Not yet?"

Chang Liren said:

"Professor Yu Wen is still writing; we're waiting for his message."

At this point, Chang Liren paused, then added:

"And you may have to make another trip to the Eastern region."

Carter looked at him.

Changli Rendao:

"This book hasn't been officially released yet. If you really want to focus on the West Coast region, perhaps you can give him some advice in advance."

"After all, you're from the West Coast."

Carter did not refuse immediately.

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers gently tracing the rim of his coffee cup, his gaze falling on the grey-blue sea outside the window.

If "The Old Man and the Sea" is truly to focus on the West Coast as its primary entry point, then it cannot simply transplant an entire piece of Eastern land like "To Live."

"To Live" cannot be changed.

That's because the essence of "To Live" is rooted in the East, and forcibly localizing it would only ruin it.

But The Old Man and the Sea is different.

At least judging from its title, it naturally has a stronger universal appeal.

The old man, the sea.

These two terms can refer to the Eastern Ocean or the West Coast.

If Yu Wen is willing to listen to opinions on some details, such as coastal ecology, fishing boat structure, maritime operation habits, and even the sense of loneliness and adventurous spirit familiar to West Coast readers, then this book may really have a chance to go further than "To Live".

Of course, this is only a possibility.

Carter looked at Chang Liren again.

"Can."

He nodded and said:

"If Mr. Yu is willing, I can go there."

"But I want to make one thing clear beforehand."

Changli Rendao:

"you say."

Carter looked serious.

"If this book is really going to focus on the West Coast region, it can't just be translated into English."

"It has to have a bit of a West Coast feel to it."

"It's not about simply rewriting Eastern stories, but at least making West Coast readers believe that this sea is related to them."

After listening, Chang Liren slowly nodded.

"I will pass on the message to Teacher Yu Wen."

Carter looked at the screen and said in a deep voice:

"it is good."

"Then I'll wait for his news."