MK sports Korea marking a 7.06-percent year-on-year growth, said a report released at the ongoing Third Shanghai International Web Literature Week. Photo: VCG" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2024/2024-12-17/d8cecf44-1643-478b-b946-4f2e0c7811ce.jpeg" />

Online literature and online reading.Revenue from China's online literature industry in overseas markets reached 4.35 billion yuan ($602 million) in 2023, marking a 7.06-percent year-on-year growth, said a report released at the ongoing Third Shanghai International Web Literature Week. Photo: VCG

 
Revenue from China's online literature industry in overseas markets reached 4.35 billion yuan ($602 million) in 2023, marking a 7.06-percent year-on-year growth, said a report released at the ongoing Third Shanghai International Web Literature Week.

Insiders noted that China's web literature is experiencing rapid global expansion. With the support of artificial intelligence and AI-powered translation, the industry is on track to achieve "one-click globalization" soon, according to a Xinhua report.

The report reveals that, since the adoption of AI translation, over 2,000 new AI-translated works have been added to overseas markets this year, marking a 20-fold increase compared to the previous year. 

Furthermore, AI-translated works currently account for 42 per cent of the top 100 best-selling web-based literature titles in overseas markets.

The advancement of AIGC technology has worked to boost the international reach of Chinese web literature, according to the report.

Webnovel, a China-based web literature platform owned by Yuewen Co, published approximately 6,000 translated works of Chinese cyber literature by the end of November 2024, according to the report. This year, more than 2,000 AI-translated works have been added for global distribution, representing a 20-fold increase compared to a year earlier.

The impact of AI is especially pronounced in niche language markets. Previously, translating into different languages was a time-consuming and costly process, said Li Hong, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association, said during the event. With advancements in AI translation, the niche language market for global distribution has seen remarkable progress in 2024, he said.

Li said that AI has also enabled the translation of many outstanding English-language web novels into multiple languages. Thanks to AI, the number of Chinese web novels translated into Spanish has increased by 227 per cent year-on-year.

He acknowledged the rapid expansion of Chinese web-based literature, highlighting the exponential growth in the number of translated works. These works, he noted, are emerging as cultural products with global appeal, and are now deeply integrated into global youth pop culture.