This presentation explores the textual transformations occurred in the bilingual adaptation of Cambridge English Readers in China, and discusses 1) the change of view of foreign language learning behind the adaptation and 2) implications for Chinese learners of English.
English language teaching and learning materials have been increasingly adapted, rewritten, and published with Chinese publishers to make them more suitable for English teachers and learners in China. This trans-cultural adaptation of materials has not attracted much scholarly attention, although it has the potential to become an essential dimension of TESOL research on materials. The present study explores the textual transformations occurred in the bilingual adaptation of Cambridge English Readers, a series of original fiction for learners of English, by a Chinese publisher. The textual transformations include the additions of Chinese translation, notes, before-reading questions, after-reading activities, lists of words and phrases, and exercises. The analysis is underpinned by social semiotic multimodal theory, particularly the concepts of "resemiotisation", which refers to the transformation of meaning from context to context. I will then argue that the original and bilingually adapted versions reflect different views of foreign language learning, and discuss the implications of the adaptation for Chinese learners of English learning with the graded readers.
