Steering a course between economic returns and ideological services

Abstract Taking patronized publishers as a starting point, this article examines how the shift in patronage during China’s thawing 1980s shaped publishers regarding their selection of translations and the framing of those translations through paratexts. It finds that the type of patronage publishers receive can significantly influence their publishing behavior. Undifferentiated patronage can ensure publishers’ ideological compliance, but when patronage lacks economic components, publishers’ ideological commitment can wane. As a result, publishers turned to translations that attracted a broader readership yet were deemed ideologically inappropriate. Furthermore, during this period marked by uncertainty and tentativeness, Chinese publishers chose translations as a means to test their patron’s tolerance and included paratexts to justify their decisions, downplaying profit motives while emphasizing the social importance of their publications.