Xiehouyu Translation In The Light Of Skopos Theory

Xiehouyu (henceforth, XHY), as a very essential part of the Chinese culture, is characterized by national traditions. It is a kind of special humorous language and a part of Chinese humor, which was created by the Chinese people in accordance with their rich experience of life. It is a unique way to express the Chinese national culture. XHY can strengthen the artistic appeal of language with their vivid similes, rich association and humorous and witty style by using figures of speech such as simile and pun. It is commonly applied in daily life and literary works. XHY is the priceless treasures of China, which also belongs to the whole world. The study of the translation of XHY can help English readers to appreciate Chinese and China, and help to disseminate the Chinese culture effectively.Based on the previous researches, this thesis tends to analyze the XHY translation with Skopos Theory as guiding theory. As a " prospective approach" to translation study, Skopos Theory pays much attention to the target readers. These people, as pre-translation recipients or readers, have their specific cultural background and different requirements for translations. Therefore, XHY translation should be discussed in terms of culture in order to eliminate the obstacles and to achieve the purpose of communication. According to Skopos Theory, translation is a purposeful action and the purpose of translation determines the strategies adopted. This is called the "Skopos rule". Also, there are "coherence rule" and "fidelity rule" in Skopos Theory. By "coherence rule", it means that the translator should make sure that the target text should be sufficiently coherent to allow the intended users to comprehend it, or to be meaningful to target language receivers. Skopos Theory works well in guiding XHY translation, especially in dealing with the linguistic and cultural differences between the source and target languages. Under the guidance of Skopos Theory, this thesis explores the appropriate means of XHY translations in order to achieve the purpose of exchange.First, the thesis explores the definitions, characteristics, formations and classification of XHY before it surveys relevant literature available and points out the necessity of making further studies of the translation of XHY into English. Next, the thesis introduces the basic concepts of the Skopos Theory, which proposes that the purpose of the translation determines the translation strategies to be adopted. In addition, under the guidance of the Skopos Theory, the thesis deals with such major translation approaches as literal translation, free translation, the combination of literal and free translation, loan translation, explaining translation, partial translation and generalization, which are shown to be necessary and practical for and applicable to the translation of XHY by way of ample exemplification. Finally, the thesis investigates the XHY translation in accordance with the Skopos Theory. The author attempts to prove that the Skopos Theory is applicable to the translation of XHY into English, and that this theory is feasible enough to be used as the translator's guide to the translation of XHY into English.According to Skopos Theory, the key factor determining the choice of translating methods is the intended purpose of the target text. The translation of XHY intends to offer Chinese culture correctly and attract foreigners to know about China. In order to fulfill the intended function of the target text, the translator, based on analysis of the source text, is justified to adopt various methods. In XHY translation, domestication and foreignization always exist together. In order to convey the thought and flavor of the Chinese XHY accurately and thoroughly, foreignization must be adopted. However, to increase the readability of the translation, domestication is inevitably employed. Domesticating translation brings the translation into the orbit of the target language and culture. If the intended purpose of the target text is achieved adequately, a translation can be regarded as successful. This thesis is devoted to a discussion of the major translation methods for translation of Chinese XHY in the Light of Skopos Theory.