A Report On The Translation Of Demi-Gods And Semi-Devils (Excerpts) Based On Reception Aesthetics

This report mainly discusses the translation practice of excerpts related to kung fu moves from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils written by Jin Yong.From 1955 to 1972,Jin Yong devoted himself to the creation of a wonderful wuxia world and numerous legendary heroes.Jin Yong’s works are popular among Chinese readers from almost all walks of life and enjoy a good reputation in Asian countries.However,the English translation of Jin Yong’s wuxia fictions encounters with great difficulties and attracts the attention of only few scholars and translators.The writer believes that one of the difficulties in the translation studies on martial arts fictions lies in the translation of diverse kung fu moves,fighting theories and fighting scenes.Therefore,the writer focuses on translation strategies of kung fu-related contents in an attempt to bring Chinese wuxia culture to western readers’ eyes.The writer introduces Reception Aesthetics as the theoretical guidance of this report.The writer analyzes three main concepts from Reception Aesthetics involving reader’s active role,horizon of expectation and response-inviting structure.With the aid of Reception Aesthetics,the writer discusses flexible strategies and methods used in the translation practice by case study.The analysis of those strategies and methods is summarized as three aspects,namely reader-centered principles,horizon of expectation and the creativity of the translator.The writer draws some conclusions from the translation practice and gives some suggestions for future translation studies on Jin Yong’s kung fu novels.