On The Translation Of Culture-loaded Words In Fortress Besieged

With the development of cross-cultural communication and globalization, it is increasingly important to introduce traditional Chinese culture through translation into other countries, for this will not only facilitate mutual understanding between China and the rest of the world, but also improve the political, economic and cultural positions of China in the world. Culture-loaded words play a very important role in cross-cultural communication. Therefore, to study how to deal with culture-loaded words in Chinese-English translation is a very effective way to help TL readers learn Chinese culture through the translation.With this aim in view, the author of this thesis makes a tentative research on the translation of culture-loaded words in Fortress Besieged. Since its first publication by Shanghai Chenguang Press in 1947, Fortress Besieged has been translated into many languages, such as English, Russian, French, Japanese, German, Korean and Spanish, etc. Its English version was published in 1979, with the joint efforts of two translators, Jeanne Kelly and Nathan K. Mao. Qian Zhongshu employs a large number of Chinese culture-loaded words in the novel. Accordingly, the translators try their best to reflect the original flavor by keeping the cultural features of these words in the English version.The author of this thesis has located the Chinese culture-loaded words in Fortress Besieged and analyze their translation in the English version. Through a careful analysis of the Chinese culture-loaded words in the novel, the author finds that the translators of Fortress Besieged employ foreignization as the main translation strategy and domestication as the complementary strategy.According to the feedback gathered from questionnaires the author distributed among foreign readers, they show different preferences for the five kinds of culture: ecological culture, material culture, social culture, religious culture and linguistic culture; Some preferring foreignization and domestication for the translation of Chinese culture-loaded words in Fortress Besieged; most prefer literal translation and think all the other translation methods, such as transliteration, free translation, substitution and omission are necessary when literal translation is not feasible.Through the research on the translation of Chinese culture-loaded words in Fortress Besieged, the author hopes that new light could be shed on the translation of cultural factors in other literary works so that the cultural gaps between Chinese people and others can be bridged.