A Report On The Translation Of Gadsby Under The Theory Of Functional Equivalence

This thesis analyzes the translation strategies applied in the translation of a popular American novel, Gadsby, under the guidance of Nida’s functional equivalence. Nida’s Functional Equivalence’s core is: the translator should translate the source text with the closest and natural equivalent receptor language, and the target text should be judged by the response of the receptor. In a word, the theory of Functional Equivalence focuses on the meaning and spirit of the original text rather than the original word and form, and the quality of translated text depends on the comparison of the way in which the original readers understood the text and the way in which readers of the translated text understood and appreciated the target text.The theory of Functional Equivalence can also be applied in the translation of novels as a guiding criterion. The author of the thesis selects one of Earnest Vincent Wright’s novel Gadsby to translate. In the thesis, the author analyzes the translation strategies applied in translating Gadsby from two levels:the vocabulary level and sentence structure level. The author of the thesis believes that, on the vocabulary level, the translator applies paraphrase conversion in translation to achieve functional equivalence; while on the sentence structure level, the translator applies the skills like split, merge amplification, omission and repetition in translation to achieve functional equivalence. Through the analysis of translated text, it is not difficult to find that functional guidance is feasible for guiding novel translation. And consequently, the authentic meaning can be conveyed to the readers of the target text.