Dynamic Adaptation To Cultural Context: Allusion Translation In Hawkes's The Story Of The Stone

Allusions are the accumulation of a nation's history and culture. Allusions, in simple form with rich cultural connotations, are commonly used in daily communication and writing. Hongloumeng is one of the greatest novels of ancient China, with abundant allusions which demonstrate the profound cultural heritage and rich literary tradition of the nation, and greatly enhance the pleasure of reading. But at the same time, the allusions pose great difficulties for western readers who have little knowledgement of Chinese culture.Since allusions come into being against the specific cultural backgrounds, in the cross-cultural translation, it is a difficult problem for translators to successfully and effectively transfer the cultural information embedded in Chinese allusions to the target readers and realize the successful cross-cultural communication and exchange between different cultures. As the global exchanges of language and culture strengthened, there is a growing concern about the study of allusion translation.Verschueren's adaptation theory provides us with a new perspective: dynamic adaptation—the core of the theory. Dynamic adaptation in making choices is mainly reflected in three aspects:the temporal dimension; dynamics and context; dynamics and structures. The choice of language in translation process should also be a dynamic process, which should be based on different cultural contexts, so as to maximize to meet the needs of both parties.The thesis just aims to do the research of allusions translation in cultural context and illustrate abundant examples from the Hawkes's version of Hong loumeng.The author believes that the research of the allusion translation should be carried out in cultural context, because a word may assume distinctive implications in different cultural context. The adaptation to different cultural context determines the strategies for the translation of allusions. So we should choose proper translation strategies and linguistic forms according to different cultural context.In conclusion, this thesis analyzes allusion translation by making use of dynamic adaptation theory, not only expanding the practical application of dynamic adaptation theory, but also providing a new perspective to solve the thorny problem of allusion translation. Therefore, it is a useful complement to and development of the current achievements.