Into The Expanded Universe

This thesis focuses on Zhu Xueheng's translation of the science fiction novel trilogy the Thrown Trilogy. It examines Zhu Xueheng's method in dealing with science fiction coinages and idioms etc., summarizes his translation methods, and discusses his works' guidance value to the translation of science fiction novels.Zhu Xueheng, a young translator from Taiwan, China, is a great fan of science fiction and fantasy literature. His translation of Lord of the Rings witnessed great success. And such a science fiction and fantasy literature lover yields an exclusive advantage in understanding and controlling the original text.According to science fiction literature's special attributes of defamiliarization, this thesis applies the theory of defamiliarization and information load, in analyzing Zhu Xueheng's translation methods and characteristics. This thesis states that Zhu Xueheng has a preference of domestication. He is very conscious about the target language being fluent and natural, sometimes even to the extent of making additions and omissions where they are not absolutely necessary, to improve the translation's readability. Meanwhile, Zhu Xueheng makes up for the information lost in the translation in several ways. By providing precisely translated science fiction coinages, preserving defamiliarization through foreignization approach, the information amount contained in his translation was increased. As to the translation of science fiction coinages, this thesis lists sci-fi coinages that appear in the Thrawn Trilogy and records the frequency of their appearance. By examining the words' appearance frequency and readers' ability to relate to these words, this thesis tries to deduce Zhu Xueheng's norm in dealing with different sci-fi coinages.Zhu Xueheng's advantage over mainland translators lies in his familiarity with the context and the themes, which result in his relatively higher control over the original text. This advantage not only enables him to provide more comprehensive and precise notes, but also makes him more competent in providing translations for science fiction coinages. Zhu Xueheng's translation takes on an irreplaceable role.