Explicitation And Implicitation In English Translation Of Classical Chinese Poetry

Classical Chinese poetry is a treasure of the Chinese culture, so in the age of intercultural communication it has become increasingly important to translate classical Chinese poetry into English. Traditional translation methods and views on English translation of classical Chinese poetry are generally text-centered. Translators tried to re-create meaning, form, or beauty of the original poem. Critics tended to find faults in the translated version by comparing it with the original. These methods and views ignore subjectivity and creativity of translators and participation of potential target readers. As a result, translators and potential target readers are marginalized. In view of these, this thesis intends to introduce explicitation and implicitation into English translation of classical Chinese poetry based on reception theory.All linguistic signs are synecdochic in nature. According to synecdochic nature of language, we may divide meaning and form into explicit and implicit information. The existence of indeterminacy in literary text makes it more difficult for translators to transfer the whole sense of literary information from the source language to the target language. They must use different explicit and implicit information to express the whole sense in the target language. Explicitation is the translation technique that is used to make explicit the information in the translated text which is only implicit in the source text. Implicitaion is the technique of making implicit in the target text information that is only explicit in the source text. They are proved rational and feasible translation approaches in the practice of English translation of classical Chinese poetry. The application of explicitation and implicitation in English translation of classical Chinese poetry is also discussed in the present thesis.The use of explicitation and implicitation takes into consideration all participants (i.e., original text, translator, and potential target readers) and the whole process of English translation of classical Chinese poetry (i.e., dialogue between translator and original text, dialogue between translator and potential target readers).The introduction of explicitation and implicitation into English translation of classical Chinese poetry provides a new perspective on analyzing English translation of classical Chinese poetry and will provoke new thoughts on it.