Wellington Readers' Perceptions of Translated Fiction

One of the most popular cultural activities in New Zealand is reading. Nationwide reading reports in 2017 and 2018 cemented the view of New Zealand as a reading nation and shone light on New Zealanders’ reading habits. One aspect of literary reception was, however, completely neglected in these reports—i.e. the reading of translated literature. This study draws on the responses of 277 adult readers in the capital city Wellington to a questionnaire aimed at uncovering their perceptions of translated fiction. It is the first systematic study of the reception of translated fiction anywhere in New Zealand. The findings reveal that translated fiction is a marginal component of respondents’ reading. Moreover, while some respondents expressed a specific interest in reading translated fiction, most prioritised genre and content. Although age and ethnicity correlate only weakly with perceptions of translated fiction, knowledge of second languages was a strong predictor of positive perceptions of translated fiction among this sample of readers.