In 2012,Moyan won the Nobel Prize for literature to which the media and the scholars paid great attention.The translations of his works by Howard Goldblatt were also caught great attention.Howard Goldblatt was believe...In 2012,Moyan won the Nobel Prize for literature to which the media and the scholars paid great attention.The translations of his works by Howard Goldblatt were also caught great attention.Howard Goldblatt was believed to help Moyan win the Nobel Prize.Based on this,it is necessary to study translation thoughts of Howard Goldblatt,which will provide some references for Chinese literature translations.展开更多
Feidu,a novel by Jia Pingwa,which is regarded as one of the most controversial fiction in China since 1993,has recently come back to the attention of the public in China because of the publication of its English versi...Feidu,a novel by Jia Pingwa,which is regarded as one of the most controversial fiction in China since 1993,has recently come back to the attention of the public in China because of the publication of its English version Ruined City:A Novel in 2016 in the US.The present paper intends to investigate the different receptions of the novel in China and in countries,like Japan,France,and America.Special attention is given to its translation,promotion,and reception in America on the basis of analyses of the para-texts of the English version,such as the preface of the translator,the promotional words on the part of the American publisher,the endorsement of literary scholars both at home and abroad,and the comments on it by critics.It is found that:(1)The novel was enthusiastically accepted and highly acclaimed in France and Japan,which constitutes a sharp contrast with its reception among Chinese readers and scholars;(2)it got a chance to be translated into English and promoted to the readership 23 years after its publication owing to the efforts of“different agents”,among whom were the translator,the editor,the publisher and many influential scholars both at home and abroad;(3)Goldblatt,rather than others,was finally chosen as the translator of the book on account of the cultural,social,symbolic,and economic capitals he possesses;and(4)the state-sponsored English translation and publication of the book in America was part of China’s effort of introducing its contemporary literature outside China.However,in its consecration in the dominant field of world literature,the novel met with obstacles,and its reception not very satisfactory.The authors of the present paper draw on sociological perspectives proposed by Pierre Bourdieu for an explanatory account of the phenomenon.In addition,Actor-Network Translation Studies(ANTS),a sociological framework for translation research proposed by Jonathan Stalling,is also introduced,and its important concepts turn out to have such explanatory power as to give us to a better understanding of the mechanism of literature translation and reception in a foreign culture.展开更多
This research seeks to provide a descriptive study of the English translation of the breakthrough Chinese novel Red Sorghum by Mo Yan. The novel is a prime example for the research into strategies and norms in transla...This research seeks to provide a descriptive study of the English translation of the breakthrough Chinese novel Red Sorghum by Mo Yan. The novel is a prime example for the research into strategies and norms in translation within a Chinese-English framework for three main reasons. Firstly, due to the huge impact the novel has had in terms of its truth-telling about the Sino-Japanese War(1937 – 1945) in China. Secondly, because of Mo Yan's unique non-linear writing style, and thirdly for the fact that the novel was translated by Howard Goldblatt, who is an American native English speaker, which is fairly rare in terms of ChineseEnglish translations. This research seeks not only to provide a descriptive study of Howard Goldblatt's English translation of the breakthrough Chinese novel but also to explore the strategies he employs during the translation process. An investigation is carried out to determine whether Goldblatt makes use of particular translation strategies and follows these approaches throughout the novel, thereby creating certain translational norms. Through primary research into the novel one would find that this is in fact the case. For example, he makes use of a domesticating approach in terms of translating Chinese cultural items, phrases, or terms. However, it is only through more in-depth research and a close comparison of the source and target texts, that one finds that Goldblatt does not in fact follow similar strategies in every instance but uses them sporadically throughout the novel according to the context or message that must be carried across. These discoveries are significant in that they are not entirely what is expected nor what is initially found by other scholars.Finally, the results of this research along with the descriptive study of the translation of Red Sorghum and the investigations into the translation strategies and norms at play during the translation process allow for better understanding of the translation process. Furthermore, the results show evidence that strategies can be used interchangeably toproduce satisfactory translations such as that of Goldblatt's English translation of the novel Red Sorghum.展开更多
文摘In 2012,Moyan won the Nobel Prize for literature to which the media and the scholars paid great attention.The translations of his works by Howard Goldblatt were also caught great attention.Howard Goldblatt was believed to help Moyan win the Nobel Prize.Based on this,it is necessary to study translation thoughts of Howard Goldblatt,which will provide some references for Chinese literature translations.
文摘Feidu,a novel by Jia Pingwa,which is regarded as one of the most controversial fiction in China since 1993,has recently come back to the attention of the public in China because of the publication of its English version Ruined City:A Novel in 2016 in the US.The present paper intends to investigate the different receptions of the novel in China and in countries,like Japan,France,and America.Special attention is given to its translation,promotion,and reception in America on the basis of analyses of the para-texts of the English version,such as the preface of the translator,the promotional words on the part of the American publisher,the endorsement of literary scholars both at home and abroad,and the comments on it by critics.It is found that:(1)The novel was enthusiastically accepted and highly acclaimed in France and Japan,which constitutes a sharp contrast with its reception among Chinese readers and scholars;(2)it got a chance to be translated into English and promoted to the readership 23 years after its publication owing to the efforts of“different agents”,among whom were the translator,the editor,the publisher and many influential scholars both at home and abroad;(3)Goldblatt,rather than others,was finally chosen as the translator of the book on account of the cultural,social,symbolic,and economic capitals he possesses;and(4)the state-sponsored English translation and publication of the book in America was part of China’s effort of introducing its contemporary literature outside China.However,in its consecration in the dominant field of world literature,the novel met with obstacles,and its reception not very satisfactory.The authors of the present paper draw on sociological perspectives proposed by Pierre Bourdieu for an explanatory account of the phenomenon.In addition,Actor-Network Translation Studies(ANTS),a sociological framework for translation research proposed by Jonathan Stalling,is also introduced,and its important concepts turn out to have such explanatory power as to give us to a better understanding of the mechanism of literature translation and reception in a foreign culture.
文摘This research seeks to provide a descriptive study of the English translation of the breakthrough Chinese novel Red Sorghum by Mo Yan. The novel is a prime example for the research into strategies and norms in translation within a Chinese-English framework for three main reasons. Firstly, due to the huge impact the novel has had in terms of its truth-telling about the Sino-Japanese War(1937 – 1945) in China. Secondly, because of Mo Yan's unique non-linear writing style, and thirdly for the fact that the novel was translated by Howard Goldblatt, who is an American native English speaker, which is fairly rare in terms of ChineseEnglish translations. This research seeks not only to provide a descriptive study of Howard Goldblatt's English translation of the breakthrough Chinese novel but also to explore the strategies he employs during the translation process. An investigation is carried out to determine whether Goldblatt makes use of particular translation strategies and follows these approaches throughout the novel, thereby creating certain translational norms. Through primary research into the novel one would find that this is in fact the case. For example, he makes use of a domesticating approach in terms of translating Chinese cultural items, phrases, or terms. However, it is only through more in-depth research and a close comparison of the source and target texts, that one finds that Goldblatt does not in fact follow similar strategies in every instance but uses them sporadically throughout the novel according to the context or message that must be carried across. These discoveries are significant in that they are not entirely what is expected nor what is initially found by other scholars.Finally, the results of this research along with the descriptive study of the translation of Red Sorghum and the investigations into the translation strategies and norms at play during the translation process allow for better understanding of the translation process. Furthermore, the results show evidence that strategies can be used interchangeably toproduce satisfactory translations such as that of Goldblatt's English translation of the novel Red Sorghum.
