ENLIGHTENMENT OF RECEPTION THEORY ON CLASSICAL CHINESE POETRY TRANSLATION
A CASE STUDY OF THE TRANSLATION OF CULTURE-SPECIFIC ELEMENTS
Abstract
How to translate classical Chinese poetry and deliver the culture it contains properly so as to make it easier to be accepted by the target reader is always a big concern for translators. Since the reception theory was put forward, it has shifted the study focus of literary theory to the role of readers and provided a new perspective to translation studies. In this thesis, the author attempts to shed some light on the translation of classical Chinese poetry by employing reception theory.
Through analyzing obstacles raised by language and culture differences in the classical Chinese poetry translation from grammatical, image and poetic scene perspectives, the thesis offers some strategies and suggestions to solve these problems according to the target reader’s reception. At last the thesis points out that in the process of translating classical Chinese poems, the translator should adopt different ways according to the target reader’s reception ability so as to achieve the ultimate goal of translation and promote cultural exchange.
Key words: reception theory, classical Chinese poetry, translation, reader, cultural exchange
Contents
Introduction 4
Chapter 1 An Overview of Chinese-English Poetry Translation 5
1.1 Poetry Translation Theories and Criteria 5
1.2 Three Schools of Classical Chinese Poetry Translation 7
1.3 Limitation of Approaches and Theories of Chinese-English Poetry Translation 7
Chapter2 Reception Theory and Translation 9
2.1 A Retrospect on Reception Theory 9
2.2 Enlightenment of Main Concepts of Reception Theory on Literary Translation 10
2.3 Enlightenment of Reception Theory on Translating Classical Chinese Poetry 12
Chapter 3 Translation of Culture-Specific Elements in Classical Chinese Poetry 14
3.1 Translation of Culture-specific Elements in Classical Chinese Poetry at Grammatical Level 14
3.2 Translation of Images in Classical Chinese Poetry 17
3.3 Aesthetic Delivery in Chinese-English Poetry Translation 20
Conclusion 22
Notes 23
Bibliography 24
