A Study On The Translation Of Address Terms In The Scholars From The Perspective Of Context Theory

Ru Lin Wai Shi,as a representative of traditional Chinese classics,its English version The Scholars has gained wide attention as well.The previous studies on The Scholars are mainly from the perspectives of cultural translation,textual comparison,translation compensation,ecological translation,and communication study,etc.But few studies focus on the translation of its complicated address terms.In fact,address term,as an important epitome of Chinese culture and social life,is of great significance to clarify the relationship between characters and depict their images.While because of cultural gaps,the translation of address terms brings challenges to translators.Translation cannot be separated from context,and by analyzing the original text,the author believes that context theory can be the theoretical support for the translation of address terms in The Scholars and provide a new perspective for the related studies as well.Based on context theory and relevant literature review,this thesis analyzes the translation of address terms in The Scholars by means of descriptive translation studies and text analysis.This thesis classifies address terms in The Scholars based on cultural context and situational context.Also it values the quality and reception of the translation by comparing the original text with its translation,and estimates whether the translator has successfully reproduced the cultural connotation of Chinese culture.The success of the translation further reflects the importance of context to translation.The translation fully reflects the translator’s consideration of context in his translation process.Yang Xianyi tries his best to follow the source text to reproduce the literary effect of the original language,and convey Chinese cultural values.This thesis also analyzes the specific translation strategies and methods adopted by the translator for different address terms,as well as the reasons behind different translation choices.The analysis found that: the translator combines foreignization and domestication translation strategy,supplementing with literal translation,free translation,omission,and amplification to be faithful to Chinese cultural elements.The translator flexibly deals with the complicated address terms in order to enhance the readability of the translation,and avoid a decrease of acceptance due to confusing translation.And the reasons for different translation choices are mainly influenced by the translator’s translation purpose and the reader market.The purpose of this thesis is to provide a new perspective for translation of Chinese address terms from context theory,and illustrate the importance of address terms translation to the success of The Scholars.Finally,the author also found the limitations of this thesis,and shared some suggestions for further study.