The Applicability Of Interpretive Theory To Literary Translation:a Case Study Of Three Translation Versions Of The Picture Of Dorian Gray

The interpretive theory, born in1960s by its pioneers Danica Seleskovitch and Marianne Lederer, is originally a systematic interpreting theory based on logical thinking and experience of interpreting teaching and practices. It has been held up as a pioneering work for interpreting research and practice. According to it, Translation is a communicative act, and it is the sense that should be transmitted. To carry out the sense, three basic steps should be followed. Thus, they proposed the triangular model of interpreting process, comprising comprehension, deverbalization and reformulation. In the following three decades, the interpretive theory has expanded its application from interpreting to translation, from pragmatic translation to literary translation. However, due to the limit of its research methods, the interpretive theory failed to give a thorough explanation of core concepts and ideas, which made it not so convincing and often suffer disputes. Nevertheless, its previous significance and present existence reveal its value to some extent.Literary works is rich in meanings and expressions. To grasp the accurate meaning prioritizes the transmission of message, which corresponds with what the interpretive theory emphasizes. In this sense, it is possible that the interpretive theory be applied to literary translation. Even so, the tricky problem is how to have a right comprehension of the source text and produce an acceptable target text. This can be solved through a case study on representative literary works and their translation. Complicated as literary works are, the biggest challenge lies in the translation of those characterized by aesthetics. In view of this, this thesis takes the aesthetic representative, The Picture of Dorian Gray and its three translation versions, as an example. Through the analysis of the novel and the three translations, the author expects to demonstrate the working process of the triangular model and to prove the applicability of the interpretive theory to literary translation.In this thesis, first comes the introduction to the interpretive theory, including its achievements and research perspective as well as the triangular model. Afterwards, the literature review on the interpretive theory is conducted to learn about its current study situation at home and abroad. Concerning literary translation, its characteristics and difficulties as well as its research achievements at home and abroad, followed by an introduction to the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and its author Oscar Wilde, as the background knowledge needed for translation. Next, the analysis of samples from the novel and its translation versions will be conducted step by step by following the triangular model from comprehension, deverbalization to reformulation, to testify the applicability and to specify the application of the interpretive theory to literary translation. At last, this thesis is concluded by a summary of the study and the limitations and expectations.