Functional Equivalence In Translation--On The Two English Versions Of Na Han

It is the primary purpose of this paper to evaluate two English versions of the remarkable collection of stories Na Han by Lu Xun in the light of the translation theory of functional equivalence. Na Han, which includes fourteen short stories, is a milestone and of epoch-making significance in the history of Chinese literature. From its content to its form, it has fresh characteristics and a strong originality. It has produced a huge impact on the society, and contributed to the development of the Chinese revolution. The illustrative examples in this paper following two English versions of Na Han: Yang Xianyi & Gladys Yang: Call to Arms, are selected from the Foreign Languages Press, 1981. William Lyell: Diary of a Madman and Other Stories, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1990. Nida's theory of functional equivalence provides a completely new criterion for the evaluation of translated works, which shifts from the focus of message to that of the response of the receptor. The closest natural equivalent translation is the translation that can evoke from its readers the same response as the source text does from its readers. In this paper, the theory of functional equivalence serves as a principle by which to assess the two English versions of Na Han. This paper is composed of four chapters. In Chapter One, the writer of this paper elucidates Nida's translation theory of functional equivalence. She briefly introduces Nida's definition of translation, and three fundamental procedures of translation. She detailedly analyzes the Functional Equivalence in Translationn the Two English Versions of Na Han theory of functional equivalence in terms of four diverse focuses. Chapter Two introduces Lu Xun, the master of language, and his great works Na Han. In Chapter Three, a comparative research of the two English versions is based on those three perspectives: meaning, style and cultural connotation. Section One deals with the meaning of the original to see if the significant elements have been transferred from the source language to the receptor language. In translating, meaning should take precedence over other factors. From the angle of meaning, the writer mainly discusses the translating of the denotative meaning and the associative meaning. When translating on the level of denotative meaning, it is not necessary to consider much of the connotation of the original text. It only requires a full comprehension of the denotative meaning and a correct choice of the closest equivalence. While translating an expression containing associative meanings, the translators must analyze the exact implied meanings in the original text before expressing them properly in the receptor language. Section Two, from the two aspects of language and rhetoric, shows how the translators reproduce the unique style of the great literary master. Through the comparison, the writer proves that while reproducing the style of the original text, the translator should not follow the usually misleading rule of formal correspondence. He should try his best to reproduce the same effect upon the readers of his translation as that upon the readers of the original by following the author's style in a dyn...