An Analysis Of Two English Versions Of Xixiang Ji Based On Nida's Functional Equivalence Theory

Drama refers to a literary art written for actors to perform on stage for audience. As a good source for exploring a nation's culture, customs, religion, etc., this art can be regarded as a port, where one can get a panoramic view of a nation. As to Chinese drama, which has already formed its own features, it is certain to become a treasure of Chinese national art. How to introduce/deliver Chinese drama to the foreign audience without too much loss of cultural and linguistic flavor should be a central task for translators. However, study of drama translation has been traditionally less explored. The reason may be summarized to its dual nature: a play text that can be read as well as a literary art for stage performance. Such dual nature makes the full potential of the text difficult to be realized unless it is put into performance, i.e. theatrical performance is the ultimate fulfillment of translated drama's property. As no universal strategy is applicable for all text types, distinct translation strategies should be applied to different types of texts. Therefore, to drama translation, a literary text that is more an art for performance than a pure linguistic art, translators should take its properties of both dramatic text and stage performance property into consideration, in order to embody the particular features of drama. In a word, a successful drama translation should be based on proper linguistic techniques and translators' creative strategies in practical translation for the sake of its stage performance property. This thesis aims to discuss Chinese drama translation, with Nida's Functional Equivalence Theory as a guiding theory and through a systemic analysis of two English versions of Chinese traditional classic drama Xixiang Ji, The Story of The Western Bower by Chinese scholar Xu Yuanchong, and The Story of The West Wing by Stephen West and Wilt L. Idema.