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A Comparative Study Of The Two Chinese Versions Of The Portrait Of A Lady

Posted on:2002-09-18Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:S C ZhuFull Text:PDF
GTID:2155360032956680Subject:Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
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It is well known that translation plays an important role in our life, and the indispensability of a proper theory of translation is also more and more widely recognized. Among the many theories that have emerged both in the Eastern and Western world, Eugene Nida抯 theory of functional equivalence is one of the most widely accepted. According to Nida, 慣ranslating consists in reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source-language message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style.?His 揻unctional equivalence?focuses on 搕he response of the receptor? in which the translation criterion lies in the comparison between the understanding of the receptor of the translated message and that of the receptor of the original text. In applying it to specific instances of translating, Nida establishes some fundamental sets of priorities and proposes some principles for producing functional equivalence. In light of Nida抯 揻unctional equivalence? this thesis makes a comparative study of corresponding extracts from two Chinese versions of Henry James抯 The Portrait of a Lady. The aim is to find practical approaches which will lead to the closest natural equivalence in the target language. Meanwhile, the theory抯 feasibility is proved again in the course of the analysis. This thesis consists of three chapters. The first gives a brief introduction to Nida抯 theory of functional equivalence and its application in literary translation. The second chapter introduces The Portrait of a Lady, its author and the Chinese versions. Chapter Three, the main body of the thesis, offers a detailed comparison between two Chinese versions (Xiang抯, and Hong and Shang抯), first in terms of 7 meaning and secondly in terms of style. In the first section of Chapter Three, this thesis carries out a comparative study in terms of meaning at the rank of lexical units and that of sentences. First, it studies five of the seven meanings of lexical units proposed by Geoffrey Leech and compares how well each Chinese version conveys them. Secondly, at the rank of sentences, it makes a comparative study in two aspects: accuracy and naturalness, which are both fundamental requirements for a literary work抯 readability and impact. In the second section of this chapter, the thesis deals with functional equivalence in terms of style. It points out the importance of transferring the style of the original, and discusses the relationship between the style of the writer and that of the translator. After that, it makes a comparison between the two Chinese versions in terms of three most prominent aspects of Henry James抯 style reflected in this novel: long sentences, parallelism and repetition, figures of speech. As a result of the comparative study, the following conclusions are submitted: 1. A thorough understanding of the original meaning is the necessary starting point in translation, and accuracy is primary consideration. The translator must take full account of all aspects such as lexicon, syntax and context to achieve functional equivalence in meaning. 2. When transferring cultural connotations or background of a lexical unit, the translator should strive to preserve, as long as acceptable in the target language, the onginal image and charm through either foo...
Keywords/Search Tags:translation, functional equivalence, comparative study
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