On The Translation Style-A Case Study Of Qiao Zhigao's Chinese Translation Of The Great Gatsby

Qiao Zhigao is a well-known writer, editor and translator in both China and America. His work has bridged the divide between China and the United States for more than a half-century. Although he has been generally acclaimed as a bilingual and bicultural man who can handle both Chinese and English at ease because of his particular experiences in both China and America and best known for translating English-language classics into Chinese and for his efforts to bring Chinese classics to English audience, the analysis of his translation achievements is lacking. Therefore, this thesis endeavors to present an in-depth analysis of his translation of an American classic The Great Gatsby---one of Qiao's Chinese translations of three modern American literary works, the other two being Look Homeward, Angel and Long Day's Journey Into Night. Given Qiao's bilingual and bicultural background, it would be interesting and instructive to explore how he reveals his own translation style in the translation of the novel The Great Gatsby. Moreover, it may shed some light on the research of the translation style.This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter one as the introductory part presents the author's opinion on translation style on the basis of a brief summary of the definitions of literary style and disputes concerning translation style. Chapter two is a brief analysis of the original work The Great Gatsby, including its author, its plot summary, its theme and style, as well as its acceptance in America. Therefore, the first two chapters serve as the foundation of the following analysis. An in-depth case study of Qiao's translation of the novel The Great Gatsby is conducted in chapter three, focusing on his translation style revealed in linguistic and cultural aspects in his translation, and a brief summary of Qiao's translation style is presented at the end of this chapter. Besides, in order to give prominence to Qiao's translation style, another translator Wu Ningkun's translation will be presented to have a comparison with Qiao's translation. The fourth chapter further explores the internal and external factors responsible for the formation of Qiao's translation style, focusing on the analysis of the influences of Qiao's unique domestic and oversea experiences and his major translation thoughts. Besides,Qiao's translation thoughts are summarized at the end of this chapter. Chapter five as the conclusion reviews and summarizes the content of the whole thesis, and Qiao's translation style as well as his major thoughts relevant in the translation of The Great Gatsby is summarized, thus concluding that in literary translation, a translator would inevitably demonstrate his unique translation style, which results from various kinds of internal and external factors which should be paid due attention to, and hoping that this will make some contributions to the further study of the translation style.