English Translation of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms

[Suburban Killbot]

I'm interested in reading The Romance of the Three Kingdoms prior to release, but there seem to multiple english editions / translations available. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which version to go for?

I'm leaning towards the Penguin Classics version, but I'm not sure if it's the 'full' version or only part of it because I've seen other versions with multiple volumes.

[Motrini]

The unabridged Moss Roberts translation of the novel is the one to get, you should be able to find multiple editions of it.
Far from perfect, but it's miles better than the old Wade–Giles version, and it's full of annotations essential to fully understand the novel.
If you can't get the Moss Roberts, the revised version of the Wade-Giles translation available for free online is probably the next best one (fans have fixed the errors and update the romanization to the currently used Pinyin system).

I've seen quite a few new translations popping up in the last years, but while I haven't read them, I think it's safe to assume they just aren't as good.
Let's take a look at the Penguin Classics version you've mentioned...
Uncredited translator?
Only 672 pages? Mine is 2340, that screams "abridged".
"Romance" of the Three Kingdoms? That's a wrong translation of the title, the only reason why most people are stuck to it (alongside stuff like "Yellow Turbans"), when the accurate Moss Roberts translation has been out for decades, is because Koei picked it when they they started localizing their games which popularized the period in the west.
My guess is that it's garbage.

[Suburban Killbot]

Originally posted by Motrini:

The unabridged Moss Roberts translation of the novel is the one to get, you should be able to find multiple editions of it.
Far from perfect, but it's miles better than the old Wade–Giles version, and it's full of annotations essential to fully understand the novel.
If you can't get the Moss Roberts, the revised version of the Wade-Giles translation available for free online is probably the next best one (fans have fixed the errors and update the romanization to the currently used Pinyin system).

I've seen quite a few new translations popping up in the last years, but while I haven't read them, I think it's safe to assume they just aren't as good.
Let's take a look at the Penguin Classics version you've mentioned...
Uncredited translator?
Only 672 pages? Mine is 2340, that screams "abridged".
"Romance" of the Three Kingdoms? That's a wrong translation of the title, the only reason why most people are stuck to it (alongside stuff like "Yellow Turbans"), when the accurate Moss Roberts translation has been out for decades, is because Koei picked it when they they started localizing their games which popularized the period in the west.
My guess is that it's garbage.

Thanks! This is really helpful.