Representation From Zhang Peiji's Selected Modern Chinese Essays On The Principle Of Translation Aesthetics

Nowadays, it is a common phenomenon that most translators in China feel more inclined to engage in English-Chinese translation since it is widely believed that we Chinese are only capable of doing the English-Chinese translation. but not vice versa. Thus the Chinese-English translation would preferably be done by the native English speakers.However, Zhang Peiji holds a different opinion that Chinese essay serves as the essence of Chinese literature and thus a carrier of Chinese culture. He has long been devoting to the cause of essay translation, particularly Chinese-English translation aiming to introduce our Chinese thoughts and ideas extensively abroad. His volumes of Selected Modern Chinese Essays have been regarded as classic works which highlight his translating styles.Translation aesthetics, a combination of the research on translation and aesthetics, has provided an accessible platform and solid foundation for further study on translation and translation practice. In recent years, translation aesthetics has developed rapidly in China due to the contributions made by many translation theorists and scholars, among which Liu Miqing's An Introduction to Translation Aesthetics has been widely acknowledged. This thesis takes some of Liu's principles as its theoretical basis in analyzing Zhang Peiji's translation of Selected Modern Chinese Essays. From the perspectives of aesthetic process, aesthetic criteria and aesthetic representation of literary translation, this thesis attempts to study Zhang's translation on various levels such as phonetic level, lexical level, artistic conception and culture. By doing this, the thesis expounds the strategies used in representing the aesthetic value of the original work in order to provide much reference and guidance to the theoretical research and practice of essay translation.The detailed discussion of Zhang's translation further proves his proposition that Chinese translators would be the most competent ones as long as they have a good command of English and English writing skills. His strategies in the translation of his masterpieces-Selected Modern Chinese Essays have revealed noticeably the aesthetics of Chinese literature in different aspects and have eloquently hit back at the conventional idea that Chinese are only capable of doing the English-Chinese translation. The translation style has greatly enlightened the English readers by the remarkable representation of the original work. It is concluded that Zhang's great achievement in translation practice in the past decades will undoubtedly inspire more people to devote themselves to Chinese-English translation.