Comparative Study Of Cultural Translation Of Poetry In HongLouMeng In Light Of Skopostheorie

Due to the existence of culture barriers, the transference of culture has been one of themost complex problems in translation for a long time. The translatability of poetry has alsobeen discussed hotly and consistently because of its unique form and condensed language.Translation of cultural elements in poetry is a delicate and intricate problem, and researchon cultural translation of poetry is valuable for further translation and study.HongLouMeng, as a great classical Chinese novel, is regarded as an encyclopedia notonly for its richness in traditional cultural content but also for its masterly use of variouspoetic forms. Poetry in HongLouMeng plays an irreplaceable role. It not only gives us ageneral outline of the novel, hints the development of plot, foretells the fortune of thecharacters, but also describes the characteristics of the key roles. It is an organic part in thedevelopment of the story, so the study of transference of poetry is of great importance. Inaddition, the research on translation of cultural elements of poetry in HongLouMeng is alsovaluable for its contribution to cross-cultural communication and cultural translation.Concerning cultural translation of poetry in HongLouMeng, different methods and strategies are taken by the Yangs and Hawkes because they differ in translation purposes.In this thesis, the author will probe into the cultural translation of poetry in two translationsof HongLouMeng (the Yangs’ and Hawkes’) from the angle of Skopostheorie. Accordingto Skopostheorie, Various translation strategies are employed by translators according todifferent translation purposes determined by taking the following translation briefs intoconsideration: initiator, source-text producer, translator and target-text receiver intoconsideration. Therefore, it is feasible to use Skopostheorie as the theoretical foundation ofthe comparative research.Apart from the introduction and conclusion part, the thesis includes four chapters: thesecond chapter is about the literature review of Skopostheorie, among which the detailedanalysis of participants in translation and Skopostheorie in literary translation is done toprove the importance of participants in determining the purpose of translation and thefeasibility of literary translation by Skopostheorie. In the third chapter, brief view of theYangs and Hawkes and their works are mentioned, followed by detailed discussion of theirtranslation purpose and potential reasons under the guidance of Skopostheorie; chapterfour focuses on the researches of poetry in HongLouMeng from the perspectives offunctions and cultural elements embodied in it. Comparative approach to culturaltranslation of poetry in HongLouMeng has been done in the fifth chapter from two aspects:poetic culture and folk culture, and the research findings reveal: first, translation briefs areof great importance in guiding research and translation practice; second, Skopostherie alsofit for literary translation; third, the Yangs often adopt forignizing method in order topreserve Chinese cultural heritage, while Hawkes takes domesticating method for theunderstanding of target reader. No single strategy can solve all problems, so translatorsshould be flexible in translating poetry and culture.