A Comparative Study On The Versions Of Chapter Titles In Shui Hu Zhuan

This thesis on the translation of chapter titles in Shui Hu Zhuan aims to carry out a comparative study on the two versions rendered by Pearl S. Buck with the title of All Men Are Brothers and Sydney Shapiro with the title of Outlaws of the Marsh. Chapter titles as a distinctive literary style are unique to Chinese language in that they are in the form of couplets, namely two antithetical lines generalizing the plot of each chapter, functioning as guides to the stories. Therefore, chapter titles are supposed to be exquisitely translated in order to arouse readers'interest and then to usher them to the plot-loaded content.In the thesis, Peter Newmark's theory, communicative translation and semantic translation is employed as the theoretical basis. Evidence shows that Pearl S. Buck's version is dominated by semantic translation while Sydney Shapiro's version is partial to communicative translation. Comparisons are made to reveal the differences between the two versions of chapter titles in Shui Hu Zhuan from several aspects, such as the lexical level, the syntactical level and the reproduction of cultural images.Then, characteristics of the two versions are clearly presented, reflecting the different intentions of the two translators and the corresponding strategies they adopt. By adopting the approach of semantic translation, Pearl S. Buck preserved a large quantity of information that abounds with Chinese elements. Such a version, though sometimes regarded as weird or even redundant, tallies well with her original intention that strong flavor of Chinese characteristics should be retained in the version. In contrast, Sydney Shapiro adopted the approach of communicative translation in order to produce a version that is idiomatic and readable. He stated that excessive preservation of Chinese features would surely affect the smoothness of the version and could become obstacles to readers who are not acquainted with Chinese culture.Apart from the contrastive analysis, this thesis also delves into the factors and causes conspiring to hinder the translation of chapter titles, namely linguistic constraints and cultural constraints. These constraints are unavoidable in the process of translation, since they are resulted from the giant gap—distinctiveness of different languages and different cultures. Hence, to bridge the gap by rendering versions that are as effective and readable as the original is a demanding task all translators are faced with.Since Shui Hu Zhuan is one of the four great classical novels in China, the study on its translation may serve as a typical model representing the research on translation of Chinese classics. This thesis attempting to probe into the translation of chapter titles in Shui Hu Zhuan is limited in that it involves only one aspect concerning the translation of this great novel. Nevertheless, as a study focusing on translation, it is of great significance to apply translation theories to practice, to some extent validate the translation theories.