This paper aims to apply Nida's functional equivalence theory to the study of the English version of Selected Poems of Li Bai, translated by the well-known Chinese professor Xu Yuanzhong. Some typical poems will be taken as research examples, and be analyzed from phonetic, semantic, contextual, and pragmatic perspectives. The aesthetic art of Xu Yuanzhong's translation will be appreciated in this way, and it will be proved that Nida's functional equivalence theory is significant to Chinese translation practice too, especially to poetry translation; its principles of translation also provide a clear guidance to the evaluation of translated works.
Key words: functional equivalence; Selected Poems of Li Bai; Xu Yuanzhong
Contents
1. Introduction 1
2. Introductions of Xu Yuanzhong and His Translated Work— Selected Poems of Li Bai 2
2.1 Brief introduction of Xu Yuanzhong 2
2.2 Xu Yuanzhong's Poetry Translation — Selected Poems of Li Bai 2
3. The brief introduction of Function Equivalence of Nida 4
3.1 Introduction of Nida 4
3.2 Introduction of Functional Equivalence 4
4. Analysis of Xu's Translation of Selected Poems of Li Bai from Functional Equivalence Perspective 6
4.1 Functional Equivalence in Sound 6
4.2 Functional Equivalence in Meaning 8
4.3 Functional Equivalence of Context 13
4.4 Functional Equivalence in Pragmatics 14
5. Conclusion 16
Acknowledgements 17
References 18
