A Study On Translation Of Wolf Totem From The Perspective Of Information Theory

Based on the information theory, this thesis aims at exploring the translation of Wolf Totem by Howard Goldblatt.Wolf Totem becomes popular after its publication. There are lots of comments from the media at home and abroad. Given this popularity, study on the translation of this Chinese novel will be significant. Information theory is a branch of science associated with research on information-processing and information conveyance. It is applicable to discuss the process of translation with the basic principles of information theory, as translation is an activity of inter-linguistic communication and a complex process of linguistic transference and information conveyance. According to information theory, Translation means the transference of information of specific text. In translation, factors from the external and internal of the text will influence the target reader's reception of the text. From the external of the text, the translator, the interests of the target readers and the choice of the republishing house are relating factors. In the internal of the text, there are cultural and linguistic differences between two languages. The translator takes advantage of deletion and addition to make the information easy to receive for the target readers. On one hand, the deletion is a way to reduce the information according to the target readers'reception. On the other hand, the addition of some explanatory translation is helpful to make up the target readers'lack of Chinese background.As this case study of translation of Wolf Totem is based on information theory, the author obtains a new understanding of literary translation. Such a descriptive study can give both translators and researchers an inspiration to further the study on the translation of Chinese contemporary literary works.