Comparative Studies On The C-E Translation Of Cultural Images In Fu Based On The Reception Aesthetics Theory

Fu has become a popular topic of study among Western sinologists in recent years,and contemporary research on fu is mostly centered on the study of its translations.David R.Knechtges is a master of the translation and study of fu pieces among Western sinologists,and his accomplishments represent the greatest degree of fu study in Western countries.Sinologists not only dig into and understand ancient Chinese,but also translate the cultural images in fu pieces as part of the translation process.Cultural images are direct or indirect representations of a national culture through language.David R.Knechtges has done detailed and in-depth research of the cultural images while translating and studying fu pieces.He has also supplied a good research idea for studying the translations of cultural images in fu by regularly changing the translations.As a result,David R.Knechtges’ study of fu has been chosen as the research object of this thesis.In this thesis,the translations of the Plume Hunt Rhapsody published by David R.Knechtges in 1976 and 1987 are selected as the objects.These two versions were published with a long interval and the translations of cultural images differed greatly.Furthermore,the cultural image translations that are reviewed demonstrate that translators have different opinions on whether to translate cultural images in fu works using a domestication or foreignization strategy.Some translators feel that the original text’s style should be preserved.However,this type of translation is ineffective at transmitting the cultural meanings of the original text,making cultural interaction difficult.While some translators believe that the translated text should be accepted by readers to assist the integration of the readers’ vision with that of the translated text to encourage cultural interchange.It’s likely that these discrepancies are the result of different study views.However,no scholars have yet conducted a thorough examination of the strategies used to translate cultural images in fu pieces from the perspective of improving their acceptance by overseas audiences.As a result,the focus of this thesis is on the translations of cultural images from the standpoint of reception aesthetics theory.The differences in translated texts of cultural images in fu pieces are analyzed from the perspective of readers’ acceptance,and translation methods that are conducive to improving readers’ acceptance are summarized,based on the core concepts of “expectation horizon” and “appealing structure” in the theory of reception aesthetics.The major goal of the fu’s translated version is to spread Chinese culture.However,while translating cultural images,translators need to consider the issue of cultural communication based on readers’ acceptance and understanding.This thesis divides the cultural images in the Plume Hunt Rhapsody into five categories,according to Nida’s criteria for identifying cultural images: material-cultural images,socialcultural images,religious-cultural images,ecological-cultural images,and linguistic-cultural images.Adopting a case study approach,this thesis selects representative cases for comparative analysis and explores approaches and strategies for translating cultural images.Moreover,the thesis concludes that when translating ecological cultural images,translators can use the method of idiomatic translation to deal with the names of plants and animals,and the method of phonetic translation plus annotation to deal with the names of mountains;when interpreting material cultural images,translators can use the method of idiomatic translation to translate the names of palaces for which an alternative image can be found;and when interpreting material cultural images,translators can use the method of phonetic translation plus annotation to deal with the names of mountains.The cultural images in fu pieces contain national culture,and translators can use the free translation method when translating.Moreover,translators can utilize techniques of adding notes,replacing,and additions to the images at the same time to portray the cultural connotations in the original text.In short,the process of cultural image translation is not set in stone,and translators should select suitable methods based on the aim of the translation.