On Cultural Translation

Translation is an important medium for cultural exchange. As a form of cross-cultural communication, it concerns not only two languages, but also two cultures. Chinese classical poetry, with a long history, is the gem of Chinese traditional culture, which is imbued with rich and varied cultural connotations. Guan Ju, one of the earliest love poems in the history of Chinese literature, has attracted translators both at home and abroad because of its simple and unadorned affection and daring expression. In spite of abundant translations, research based on the translation of Guan Ju is still limited in some way. This thesis attempts to explore the translation of Chinese classical poetry from a cultural perspective. Altogether, eighteen English versions are selected here. Through both macro and micro comparison, the thesis focuses on identifying the cultural elements and the ways to deal with them in translation. In addition to Introduction and Conclusion, there are three chapters in this thesis.In the Introduction, using the history of the translation of Guan Ju as a basis,the thesis gives a general survey of the cultural translation theory and the present research conditions of the translation of Guan Ju. By discussing the interrelations between translation and cultural elements, the author seeks to point out that the cultural nature of translation makes it possible to take cultural elements as a prominent perspective in translation studies.Chapter One mainly probes into the fundamental theories of cultural translation. After a general review of its foundation and development, the author analyzes in detail the intimate relationship among poetry, translator and translation and points out that poetry translation should be performed on the basis of culture. In a sense, translation ought to focus on seeking a functional equivalence in the target culture for the source text. This chapter offers important theoretical support for this thesis.Chapter Two offers a macrocosmic analysis of English versions in both cultures, which are divided into two types: deep rooted in Chinese traditional culture, the Chinese translators'translations aim at promoting Chinese culture abroad; some western scholars attempt to imitate Chinese classical poetry in form and sense to satisfy the western readers'demand. Through analysis of lots of examples, this thesis finds that the translator chooses many kinds of translation techniques according to different concrete situations, such as his/her cultural background, the intended readers, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to include the cultural elements into the theoretical system of translation assessment.In Chapter Three, following the analysis done in the previous chapter, the focus is laid upon the phonological, lexical, syntactical level and rhetorical devices. For example, the problems appear in the translation of onomatopoeia and proper nouns. Therefore, it can be concluded that untranslatability, especially cultural untranslatability, does exist in the translation of Chinese classical poetry.In the end, on the basis of a general assessment of western translation of Guan Ju and present research on its translation, the author attempts to summarize some beneficial lessons for the translation of Chinese classical poetry from a cultural perspective, that is, under the guidance of the cultural translation theory an optimum balance should be kept between the conveyance of culture information and the target reader's acceptability.