The Compromise Among Socio-cultural Constraints

This dissertation is a comparative study of three English translations of Hongloumeng, i.e. Dream of the Red Chamber by Wang Chi-chen, The Story of the Stone by David Hawkes, and A Dream of Red Mansions by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang. Based on the comparison, it further explores how socio-cultural factors influence literary translatioaThe dissertation first examines the structural levels of the three translations and describes their similarities and differences regarding the choice of the original editions, their lengths and contents, and supplements. Then, it compares the three translations at the textual level with respect to general language styles and culture-specific items. Based on the comparison, the dissertation goes on to analyze the underlying socio-cultural factors. In the ideological aspect, due to the minor status of Chinese literature in the 1920s, the publisher required Wang to cater to Western readers; because of an increasing demand for a complete translation of the novel, Hawkes' publisher provided his translation work with solid support in the 1960s; in China, both the full sponsorship and the political atmosphere of "Left" made the Yangs translate highly literal. Regarding cultural standpoints, both Wang and the Yangs show a strong preference for their own Chinese culture while Hawkes follows the transparent translation canon in the dominating Anglo-American culture. These socio-cultural constraints work together to shape different translations. Therefore, Wang's translation turns out to be an abridged exotic love story with some degree of foreignization; Hawkes' translation is a complete but domesticated translation; and the Yangs' translation is not only complete but also highly foreignized.The result of comparison and analysis lends strong support to the view that both ideological factors and cultural standpoints play important parts in the translation of the novel. The final translations are the products of the compromise among these interwoven and interactive socio-cultural constraints.