A Study Of The Two English Versions Of Fu Sheng Liu Ji From The Perspective Of Skopos Theory

Based on the Skopos theory, the thesis attempts to make a comparative study of the two English versions of Fu Sheng Liu Ji and probe into the application of Skopos theory in translation criticism. According to Skopos theory, translation is a purposeful intercultural action. The production of any translation is conditioned by many factors. The purpose of the overall translation action determines the translation strategies. As a break from the equivalence-oriented linguistic translation theory, it places emphasis on the interaction of the intention of the original author, the translator and the target text readers and offers a dynamic and muti-dimentinal perspective on translation criticism. When applied into the evaluation of translation, it calls attention to the factors such as the translator, the target readers and the situation in the shaping of the translation. The analysis of the two versions of Fu Sheng Liu Ji shows that the translators give priorities to different translation strategies and the two versions have different styles and achieve different effects. In general, the two versions are adequate as they justify different translation purposes and meet the expectation of different readers. The existing deficiencies are mainly due to the practice of over–domestication and over–foreignization that will affect the preservation of the original style and the transfer of cultural information. The thesis is divided into four parts. The first part is an overview of the traditional translation criticism and points out the growing trend of translation criticism has shifted from the textual equivalence to the factors like the translator, the target text readers and the cultural situation that condition the shaping of translation. The second part deals with the background of Skopos theory, the basic concepts and the insights it offers to translation criticism. The third part is a comparative study of the two versions in terms of the linguistic and cultural aspects. The fourth part will be a general evaluation of the two versions based on Skopos theory. In a word, this thesis attempts, on the basis of textual analysis, to explore the strategies of the translators, the factors that condition the shaping of the translations and to make a rational evaluation on the translations and test out the application of translation theory.