A Study On The English-Chinese Translation Of Fairy Tales From The Perspective Of The Reader's Reception Theory

In the colorful world of children's literature, Fairy Tales (FT) is one of the most glamorous flowers. The translation of excellent FT of the West is a good way to help Chinese children to better understand and learn the western culture so as to enhance the communication of the two cultures.Reception Aesthetics and the reader's reception theory provide the FT translation with a new perspective from the aspects of philosophy and literature theory. According to Reception Aesthetics, the value of a literary work can be fully actualized only through understanding and reception of its readers. The receptor of FT, the children reader, is one of the important factors to actualize the aesthetical value of a text. Based on the reception theory, when doing translation, what a translator should primarily ponder over are the reader's horizon of expectations, the reader's psychology and their inner needs. An excellent FT writer always concerns the nature and life of human beings. Translators also should appreciate the outstanding work with children's eyes and communicate with them heart to heart. Then, from the perspective of children, translators should translate it readably, concisely and beautifully. Meanwhile, it is indispensable that translators should faithfully render the contents of the source text with children's language which is simple and suitable for children at different ages in order to maintain the original artistic style and aesthetic value.In the meantime, China's FT translation history and the insufficient market of native children's literature as well as the centered position of child-orientation in children's literature world suggest that child-orientation is the primary principle of FT both in writing and in translation. Through the comparative analysis on the four Chinese versions of Alice in Wonderland, it is not hard to conclude that child-orientation has been and will be practically significant in choosing words or sentences, translating rhetoric devices and dealing with the cultural differences.