A Report On The E-C Translation Of Unaccustomed Earth Based On Skopos Theory

The report is based on the E-C translation of Unaccustomed Earth written by the American writer Jhumpa Lahiri.Under the guidance of skopos theory,an important part of the functional school,the report aims at putting the translator’s MTI program learning into practice based on the skopos rule,coherence rule and fidelity rule.Skopos theory plays a significant guiding role for literary translation by providing certain principles and directions,since translators should take these factors into consideration,such as target readers and their reaction,communication function of the target text,and the stylist features of the source text.The target readers also have their own appreciation standard and purpose.The main idea of skopos theory lies in that the translator should give consideration to the target readers and translation purposes,which requires the translator to choose translation strategies in accordance with the purposes of target text.Thus,skopos theory provides guidance for this translation project.Targeted at the general English learners,the translation task was given by a domestic press.The publishing house requires that the translation work should display the original content and the language should be plain,idiomatic and easy to read.Based on these requirements,the author of the paper sets these goals: to maintain the message,tone and expression of the original;to keep its stylistic features as well as the original flavor;to improve the target text’s readability;to give a whole picture of the original.Through these ways,the translation can achieve cross-cultural communication and give aesthetic experience to the readers.In view of the differences between the two languages,the translator may flexibly uses strategies such as omission,addition and reinventing sentence structure in accordance with these purposes and differences between the two languages to let target readers fully understand and accept the translated work.Every character in Lahiri’s stories has unique personalities.Therefore,the translator should be aware of Lahiri’s attitude and tone so as to accurately reflect their personalities and prudently select words while doing translation.The report analyzes the application of skopos theory in translation process and defends the positive role of the theory in literary translation.Moreover,it puts forward some proper strategies suitable for literary translation so as to provide references for the study and translation practice of literary texts in the future.