On The English Translation Of Chu Ci

Chu Ci (《楚辞》) is considered one of the two origins of Chinese poetry and its influence on the Chinese language and the development of Chinese literature is far-reaching. Due to its importance in the history of Chinese literature, many famous translators were ever engaged in the translation of it, but the study of its English translation has received not so much attention as it deserves. In addition, being a culturally-laden text, the cultural components constitute the direct challenges to the translators of it. So the cultural components of Chu Ci really call for a systemic study. The thesis explores the cultural problems in the English translation of by proposing a distinction between the two cultural implications: the psychology-based and the knowledge-based as well as seeing translation as cross-cultural communication.Beginning with an introduction to the great poet Qu Yuan ( 屈原 ) and his works, the thesis attests an inherent link between the Sao-Style Poetry (骚体诗) initiated by Qu Yuan and the cultural tradition of China. Then it probes into the cultural components involved in Chu Ci from three aspects: i) thexi-sentence pattern, ii) the figurative use of plant-names and iii) the allusions and references. The thesis proposes that, in addition to the plant-names and the allusions and references in Chu Ci, the xi-sentence pattern ("^"^/RJ) should also be considered a culture-bound item because it is the marker of the Sao-Style Poetry, possessing a unique aesthetic taste that is only perceived by the people brought up in the context of Chinese culture and therefore inaccessible to the readers from a different culture.Furthermore, focusing on the three versions respectively translated by D. Hawkes, Sun Dayu (#;fcM) , Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang ($}%&■> fi, 7iS ) , the thesis examines a variety of different approaches in relation to the translation of the three cultural components involved in Chu Ci, revealing that, though different in the form, all the strategies sway from the source-text oriented and target-text oriented, or ends in some sort of a compromise between the previous two. The thesis argues that the cultural divide between two cultures in question and the nature of translation as cross-cultural communication should be responsible for this phenomenon.The conclusion drawn from the comparative study also echoes with an idea considering the translation to be cultural mediation, and the translator the cultural mediator who, bearing in mind the purpose of cross-cultural communication, is in a position to exercise discretion in deciding the appropriate strategies for settling the cultural conflict.Apart form the introduction and the conclusion, the thesis consists of four chapters.The introduction clarifies the problems to be explored and the objectives as well as the structure of the thesis after a review of the status quo of thestudies of the English translation of Chu Ci.Chapter One is devoted to a brief introduction to the great poet Qu Yuan's life and his devotion to the development of Chinese poetry, the definition of Sao-Style Poetry as well as a review of the English translation of Chu Ci.Chapter Two summarizes the three cultural elements contained in Chu Ci, clarifying time and again the inbuilt link between the linguistic signs and the cultural tradition. In addition, this chapter demonstrates that xz'-sentence pattern is a cultural sign rather than a linguistic one.In Chapter Three, a distinction is drawn between the two categories of cultural implications in Chu Ci. Through a comparative study of several English versions of Chu Ci, the thesis examines a variety of strategies of handling the cultural problems, revealing that the cultural implication of the ^/-sentence pattern is unavoidably lost and the translation of plant-names as well as allusions usually entails the interpretative and explanatory fillings.Chapter Four concludes the thesis with some reflections on the English translation of Chu Ci: i) all the strategies in the English translation of Chu Ci ranges from source-text oriented to target text oriented, and ii) a balance between the two conforms to the purpose of cross-cultural communication; iii) the translation of Chu Ci actually constitutes an exercise in cultural mediation and the in this cross-cultural communication process the translator actually acts as a cultural mediator.The conclusion summarizes the major points and claims the significance of this thesis.