Norms In The Two English Translations Of Shui Hu Zhuan

As a kind of social and cultural activity, translation is norm-governed. This thesis aims to study norms in the two English translations of Shui Hu Zhuan by Pearl Syndenstricker Buck and Sidney Shapiro, especially the translation of reviling in the dialogues of the novel, within the framework of DTS and Translational Norms Theory. Through analyzing the translated texts from three angles of norms—preliminary, initial and operational norms, we can have a better view of the translation actions done by the translators under different social and cultural backgrounds.Owing to the fact that traditional translation studies focus too much attention on the source text, the process and results of the studies are prone to be over-evaluative and too empirical. Researchers just seek to find formal or semantic equivalence in translation, which has prevented them from having a further understanding of the translational phenomena.Reviling, as a time-cherished linguistic phenomenon, has been cast aside from the mainstream of linguistic studies, not to mention its translation. In the novel Shui Hu Zhuan, reviling plays a significant role in the shaping of its literary status as one of the four most distinguishing classical masterpieces in Ming & Qing dynasties. The author sorts out some major reviling forms and attempts to study how they are translated by the translators, and how the translation is governed by the three norms expounded Toury.