On The Translation Of Metaphors In A Dream Of Red Mansions From The Perspective Of Skopos Theory

Skopos theory holds the conviction that translation is an action with a Skopos based on the source text. During the translation, the Skopos is expected to be the primary factor taken into account. This theory extends the confines of translation, breaking the limitation of language shift and source text. It expands the influence of the target culture towards translation activity and improves the status of translators. Vermeer, who brings up Skopos theory, also comes up with the three rules of the Skopos rule, the coherence rule and the fidelity rule.Hong Lou Meng is at the height of Chinese classical novels. The translation finished by Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang appeals to innumerable scholars to study it on account of the integrity of the rendered text and the authority of the translators. Recently, metaphor and its translation have come into focus of research. Consequently, metaphor translation in this masterpiece is considered as the subject of research in the paper and studied through Skopos theory.This paper consists of five parts. The first part is concerning the research background, purpose and significance, research questions, research methodology and organization of the thesis. In the second part of Literature Review, study on metaphor translation in China and abroad is elaborated. Discussion on application of Skopos theory is also touched upon. In the third part, a detailed account regarding Skopos theory is given, covering its formation and significance, three basic rules and feasibility to metaphor translation.In the fourth part, the author analyzes metaphor translation in this novel from the angle of the three rules in the Skopos theory:The Skopos rule is reflected through the translators’ Skopos and relevant examples of metaphor translation; The coherence rule is reflected through the analysis on the translation of culture-loaded metaphors and descriptive metaphors; The fidelity rule is reflected through the analysis of the translation of the word-structural metaphors and sentence-structural metaphors. Then five translation methods are summarized: explanation, transition, deletion, metaphrase and annotation. In the fifth part, the author sums up major findings in this paper and limitations along with suggestions for future researches.Through the analysis on the metaphor translation in A Dream of Red Mansions from the Skopos rule, the coherence rule and the fidelity rule respectively, the author reaches a conclusion that Yangs’metaphor translation accords with the three rules in Skopos theory. Meanwhile, the research proves the validity of this theory on literature translation once again. Through successful translation of metaphors, the translators present the world a vivid and specific culture of China, contributing to the cultural exchange.