Winning the new financial era

Chapter 467 Cultural Export
Zhang Yida smiled, "Without copyright, it's really hard to move forward."

Asked again: "Then you plan to continue like this forever, to be a professional Chinese novel translation website?"

Upon hearing these words, Lai Jingping knew that the main show was coming, and her eyes became a line with a smile.

He sighed, "We also know that novel sites that are written in English are more popular, with more works, richer content, and more attractive fans.

But limited by funds, it is not realistic for us at all.

Not to mention the original section, our translation section has been hit a lot during this period. "

"What's going on?" Zhang Yida asked curiously.

Lai Jingping openly stated the current predicament that the world of martial arts is facing, and there is nothing to hide. If Zhang Yida really wants to invest in them, he will definitely conduct due diligence.

Rather than being exposed by others, it is better to be honest and gain some goodwill.

"In the past, our translators worked almost for free, driven purely by interest.

But Mr. Zhang, as you know, Chinese online literature is often composed of millions of words and thousands of chapters, and it is very laborious to translate.

Later, we established a donation system, stipulating that every time readers donate a certain amount, the translator will add a chapter on top of the guaranteed number of updates every week.

This figure is determined by the translation team itself, and usually ranges from $20 to $80.

In addition, we will subsidize the translation team with a part of the website's advertising revenue.

Originally, there was nothing wrong with this model.

However, since the giants of online texts have gone overseas, they have started to recruit a large number of translators at a fixed price of about 50-80 US dollars per chapter by virtue of their capital advantages.

They also offered an annual salary of hundreds of thousands of dollars to poach people from our web translation websites.

At the same time, they rely on their monopoly position on copyright to prohibit other websites from translating their novels.

Novels that have already been translated are also refused to be licensed unless we go to them. "

Zhang Yida understood that the giant's tricks were very ruthless and very effective at the same time. If it went on like this, it would basically destroy the foundation of the martial arts world.

"In response to these changes, what plans or strategies do you have?"

Lai Jingping knew that this was a test of herself, so she began to talk about her plan.

"My initial plan is this. To meet the impact from the giants, in addition to reaching copyright cooperation with other Chinese online giants.

We also need to transform the translation team from a semi-professional status to a full-professional status, speed up the translation speed, and retain users with more and richer works.

But this needs to increase the income of the translation team, and the slow growth of advertising revenue and a small amount of donation income will certainly not achieve the general professionalization of translators.

Therefore, we also need to establish a charging mechanism. "

"Charging mechanism?"

Zhang Yida was a little stunned, "You just said that it was too early to promote the charging mechanism?"

Lai Jingping smiled and said: "That's right. But now that the knife rest is on the neck, if we don't change it, we will only have a dead end.

The charging mechanism I am talking about is somewhat different from the VIP subscription mechanism implemented by other companies.

What we plan to implement is a set of pre-reading payment mechanism. This "reading in advance" mode is fundamentally different from the mode of paying by chapter.

The secret of this mechanism is that every novel that is being updated in the martial arts world has a large number of hidden latest chapters, which can only be seen by paying for credits.

For readers who don't want to pay, there will also be a few chapters unlocked every week, just wait and you can always read for free, but paying readers will always see more new chapters before them.

This "wait for free" model is the mainstream payment mechanism for online novels in South Korea, and it is worth learning from. "

Zhang Yida has also read online novels, so he naturally understands the kind of "waiting for an update" scratching his head, and he can't wait to arrest the author and beat him up.

In fact, this method is also "forcing" some readers to pay for reading.

It's just that this method is not mandatory. If you have financial conditions and want to see more chapters faster, then you can pay.

If you don't have that financial condition, just wait and see.

Lai Jingping added: "The reason why this mechanism is implemented is related to my judgment that the compulsory payment mechanism is not particularly suitable for the ecology of the English-speaking world.

First of all, compared with other forms of entertainment such as games and movies that have been extremely developed in the English-speaking world, Chinese online novels that have just appeared do not have much advantage.

Free is an important means of attracting readers, and full charging will definitely lead to the loss of a large number of readers and the prosperity of pirated websites.

Secondly, the pricing standard is also difficult to determine, and the source of readers in the world of martial arts is very rich.

However, there is a huge difference in the prices that readers in North America and readers from Latin America and Southeast Asia can afford. If the price is high, there will be too few paying readers, and if the price is low, the income will not be enough. "

"Okay, I understand."

Zhang Yida looked at Lai Jingping and asked with a smile, "Do you think it is possible for Chinese web literature to become a mainstream cultural output like Dongying animation and Korean dramas?"

Lai Jingping said very firmly: "Yes, but it requires a lot of capital investment and even policy support.

Dongying animation and Korean entertainment are the pillar industries of their respective countries.

Of course, this refers to the macro level.

From a micro level, the professionalism of the translation team, the exposure of novels, the number of words in novels, and the pertinence of novels have all become shackles that restrict the spread of Chinese online literature overseas to a higher level.

Specifically, a large and professional translation team is needed to translate thousands of high-quality online novels to attract more overseas users.

In terms of exposure, it would be best if there is a short video software such as Musical.ly under Mr. Zhang that covers hundreds of millions of young users around the world to help promote it.

The number of words in the novel means that Chinese online articles are too long, it is too difficult to translate, and it takes a long time to read.

If there are hundreds of thousands of words per volume like Japanese light novels, the speed of translation and dissemination can be accelerated.

In short, the novel should not be too watery!The text should be compressed as much as possible.

It is also very important to be specific. For novels such as the Eastern Xianxia, ​​technical terms such as "72 Transformations" and "Sanctification of the Flesh" can be understood by Chinese as long as they have read Journey to the West.

But when it comes to translation, you have to explain a lot.Possibly the words are not expressive.

Another example is "the heaven and the earth are natural, the filth and qi are scattered, the cave is mysterious and empty, the Taiyuan is shining, the majesty of the eight directions makes me natural, the spiritual treasure amulets life, and spreads the nine heavens..." Such Taoist terms directly make translators in the English world collapsed.

In fact, the reason why Panlong was so popular at the beginning was because it was a Western fantasy.

Everyone knows about knights, magic, and dragons!

My advice is to create in the context of your target market.

For example, if the target market is France, we write "The protagonist travels to the end of the 18th century to help Napoleon conquer the world and unify Europe..."

For example, if the target market is an Arab country, we would write "The main character crosses over to be Saladin's subordinate. After Saladin's death, he will continue to uphold his legacy and lead the Arab world to fight against the evil crusaders and capture Constantinople..."

......"

Zhang Yida twitched when he heard it, his brain was really wide open, this Lai Jingping is really a talent.

Zhang Yida has always supported the export of culture.

The 5000-year-old civilization has lost its cultural confidence, although its pockets have bulged in recent years.

Once online texts are successfully exported, it will also drive a series of entertainment industries in China.

Zhang Yida smiled and said: "Actually, Ruixiang Digital Technology Group has been focusing on the research and development of text AI, and it has been put into use in the field of financial news.

I wonder if an AI translation platform will reduce the difficulty of web text translation. "

Lai Jingping thought for a while and said: "The application of AI is not yet mature, but some Taoist or traditional Chinese cultural vocabulary can be unified by using AI, so that the spread will be more concentrated and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people."

Zhang Yida nodded in agreement, and said, "Also, you are talking about writing online articles in a Western context. Doesn't this require a certain amount of historical knowledge?"

Lai Jingping explained: "That's right, you probably understand the history and culture of the target market, so the things you write will be more immersive.

Anyway, there is no need to write in English. I believe that Chinese domestic universities can find many such liberal arts students.

After a certain amount of basic training for them, someone will definitely be able to capture the local market in one fell swoop. "

Zhang Yida is a little unsure about this. There are tens of millions of authors in China's online literature, and only one tomato comes out after a big wave.

Find some trainees for training, and there is no problem for some of them to meet the qualification standards, but if you want to make a hit, it still depends on your talent!

Or it is long-term writing, continuous improvement, and hard work to make up for one's weakness.

"The average number of daily visitors to Wuxia World is currently stable at more than 50?"

Lai Jingping nodded, "That's right, although we can't compare with China's domestic web text giants, we are well-deserved number one among overseas Chinese web text translation sites."

As for this number one, Zhang Yida just smiled, it was because the fat penguin hadn't shown its power yet.

"Zhonghe Group has its own Zhonghe Chinese website in China. Although it has just been established, it has grown rapidly with the help of the parent group's publicity resources."

Zhang Yida paused, looked at Lai Jingping, and said with a smile: "After Wuxia World joins the Zhonghe Group family, I believe that with the help of the parent group's funds and channels, Wuxia World will definitely be able to compete with Penguin.

I wonder if Mr. Lai is willing to develop together with us and bring China's online literature to a higher position? "

Zhang Yida's intention is very clear, this is to acquire the world of martial arts.

Lai Jingping would definitely refuse to let it go.But now facing the pressure of Penguin, he really needs the support of a Big Mac.

Although the entertainment sector of Zhonghe Group is not as big as Penguin, it has unlimited potential and is a very high-quality partner.

Lai Jingping thought about it and asked, "Mr. Zhang, can't you invest?"

Zhang Yida shook his head, "Investment is a tactic to add fuel, it's not that I look down on you, it's that the current strength of the martial arts world can't stop Penguin at all.

Only we can help the martial arts world resist the penguins, not even Ahri. "

Lai Jingping hesitated. He still has deep feelings for the company, otherwise he would not quit his job as a diplomat to do web translation.

But the reality had to make him bow his head. A giant of Penguin's size was indeed something he couldn't resist.

Gritting his teeth and holding on, maybe the little property that the martial arts world has laid down so far will be completely wiped out.

"U.S. $500 million to fully acquire Wuxia World. In addition, I will provide you with another job. You will continue to be the CEO of Wuxia World, and you can also enjoy the options of Zhonghe Group."

Lai Jingping still wanted to bargain, but Zhang Yida stopped him: "There is only one chance, and it couldn't be easier for Zhonghe Group to build an overseas novel translation website.

I still value you as a person. If you can bring the world of martial arts to a higher level, there will naturally be other rich rewards. "

This price is actually not low, because Lai Jingping has also contacted several venture capitals.

But because of copyright issues, they are not very optimistic about the development of the martial arts world. The current traffic is built on castles in the air. Once Penguin withdraws copyright, the cornerstone will collapse.

Lai Jingping's complexion fluctuated, and finally he gritted his teeth, "Okay, Mr. Zhang, I can sell you the world of martial arts, but you have to promise me one condition."

"What conditions?"

"Don't harvest too early, and cultivate the market for a while."

"It's no problem, I promise you, the annual loss will not exceed 1000 million U.S. dollars, and the loss is allowed for five years!"

……

(End of this chapter)