A Study On Translations Of Journey To The West In The German-speaking World

As one of the four Chinese classical masterpieces,Journey to the West is not only a shining pearl in the treasure house of Chinese literature,but also a window for cultural exchanges between China and other countries in the world.The translation and introduction of Journey to the West in the German-speaking world began in the early 20 th century,and it has been more than 100 years since the first version was published.However,in general,few studies have been conducted on the German versions of Journey to the West in China.Because of this,the author went to Germany and collected first-hand materials such as archives,diaries,atlas,early translations,and communicated with relevant translators,authors and publishers.By combing and integrating the obtained information,this paper endeavors to reconstruct the translation process of Journey to the West in Germanspeaking regions,and makes a periodization of the partial translation,the abridged versions and the full version.On this basis,this paper discusses the phenomenon of indirect translation and the relation between illustration and text in the translated literature.This paper not only focuses on diachronic studies,but also synchronic ones.It not only focuses on the overall study,but also case studies,and strives to present the overall picture and characteristics of the translation of Journey to the West in the German-speaking world from different perspectives.This paper takes several German versions of Journey to the West as the research objects.Firstly,it makes an analysis of the translations in different periods and types from the aspects of their background,source texts and their adaptation of the translated versions,the distortions of the illustrations and texts and the image of the characters.On the basis of reconstructing the Sino-Western relations and social and historical background of each stage,the author investigates the production process,translation agents,readers’ reception and dissemination of each version.Secondly,this paper analyzes diachronically the translated text of Richard Wilhelm(1914),the translation of Georgette Boner and Nadia Jollos(1947)which is based on the English translation Monkey of Arthur Waley,and the translation of Johanna Herzfeldt(1962).In this part,the author focuses on the distortions in compilation and indirect translation,the intertextuality of illustrations and text of the illustrated version,and the influence of the cultural policy and ideology of the target country on the translators and their versions in a specific period of time.In addition,through diachronic comparative studies,the author finds that there may be a possibility that Herzfelt has referred to Wilhelm’s translation.Thirdly,this study focuses on Eva Lüdi Kong’s full translation.In view of the fact that some domestic scholars have questioned the “fullness” of this translation on the grounds that the original version is not a reliable one,the author explores the motivation of the translator’s selection of the original version,and combining with the publication data of the translation,illustrates the rationality of “Xiyou Zhengdao Shu” as the original version.Then,this part analyzes the paratext of Lüdi Kong’s version,including the book cover,illustrations,appendix and the epilogue.By taking various characters as clues,the author studies the methods applied by the translator to reshape the characters and to reproduce the plot.In addition,this paper makes a comparative study of the fate of the female character,Yin Wenjiao,the mother of Xuan Zang,in various versions to explore the different translation strategy applied by different agents,thus to investigate differences of the same character in the same plot in various versions.Last but not least,considering that Sun Wukong is the central character of all the translated versions,this paper takes the image of the Monkey King as a clue and makes a diachronic and comparative study of the translated versions,especially the portrayal of the image of the Monkey King in picture books,children’s books and comic books,so as to present the translation landscape of Journey to the West in the German-speaking world from multiple perspectives.Through a comprehensive review of the history of the German translation of Journey to the West and the study of each translation,this paper preliminarily obtains the following findings:(1)The publication of translated works does not always coincide with the prime time of Sino-German or Even Sino-Western exchanges,and not all translated works are the result of cultural exchanges.Political and cultural antagonism in a specific period may also promote the production of translated works;(2)It seems to be a historical inevitability that the generation of translated works is influenced by the historical background.However,in terms of specific translation activities,new variables may be involved in the process of literary translation at any time due to the differences of individual experience and the environment in which they live,resulting in a great contingency in the production of translated works;(3)In terms of translated versions,the original text and the translator are two important factors affecting the translation.To select an authoritative original is a necessary but not sufficient condition to ensure the quality of the translation.Due to the historical limitation of the agents,literary works should be often retranslated,so that classic literature can maintain its vitality and be passed on generation after generation.(4)Translated literature not only plays a role in the field of target literature,but also may clash,communicate and merge with other local arts to produce new artistic variants;(5)From the perspective of the reception effect of each version,versions initiated and translated by native speakers may have better reception than versions initiated and translated by Chinese translators.In the era of globalization in which Anglo-American culture prevails,the English world should be the primary destination for the translation of Chinese literature.After achieving this goal,the translation channels of other languages will be opened naturally.(6)It is of great importance to strengthen the cultural communication and exchanges between Chinese and the West in many fields,such as education,academic,cultural communication and exchanges which are important engines to promote the dissemination of Chinese literary and culture,especially to attract western teenagers and college students to know China,to pay attention to China and to visit China.This “import” will finally turn to“export”,so that the Chinese literature can be widely read by readers around the world.