Functional Equivalence In Novel Translation

In light of American linguist and translation theorist Nida's"functional equivalence", this thesis presents a criticism of my translation of Joyce Carol Oates's short story"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", and tries to prove the applicability of the theory in novel translation.Unlike traditional translation theory, the principle of functional equivalence proposed by Nida provides a new set of criteria for translation criticism in a converse aspect. According to the principle, a translator should aim at producing a translation that is the closest natural equivalent of the original message, so as to be as distinctly understood and felt by the target language receptor as by the source language receptor. Novel is an important form of literature, and shares the common characteristics of literature, and it yet bears its own distinctive feature. Novel focuses on description of people, plot, environment, etc., which reflect the social life of an era.The thesis consists of four parts including the conclusion. Part one is an introduction to novel translation, and how to do novel translation. Part two introduces Nida's"functional equivalence"and discusses its applicability to the translation of novel. Part Three, the main body of the thesis, is a criticism of my translation: first in terms of meaning, and second in terms of style. Part Four makes a conclusion based on the criticism, summing up the guidance of Functional Equivalence Theory to my translation, and putting forward suggestions for further study.