On Translation Of Parody In Hong Lou Meng From The Perspective Of Adaptation Theory

Parody, as a type of rhetorical device, is considered as one of the most activelanguage phenomena in both English and Chinese. The ingenious use of parody indialogues of Hong Lou Meng reflects the author’s superb art in language use.However, due to the barriers in terms of both form and cultural richness, the use ofparody poses a great challenge to translators.The Adaptation Theory holds that the use of language consists of a continuousmaking of linguistic choices. In a microscopic level, the theory studies selection andadaptation at various levels of linguistic structures. In a macroscopical level, thetheory examines language phenomena from social, cultural and cognitiveperspectives. The thesis believes that translation, as a particular form of language use,also consists of a continuous making of choices and a series of adaptation tolinguistic and extra-linguistic factors in the process of completing communication. Inlight of the unique features of parody, the present thesis selects three dimensions ofadaptation, namely linguistic structure, target cultural context and readers’ cognitivereception, to have a comparative study of the translation of parodic words in Englishversions of Hong Lou Meng by David Hawkes and the Yangs. Based on the analysis,the thesis expects to help translator better address the challenges in parodytranslation through adaptation to linguistic, cultural and cognitive factors.Based on the ideas of selection and adaptation as well as the comparative studyof parody translation within the three-dimension adaptation framework, the presentthesis proposes that translation is a process in which the translator, governed by hissalience of adaptation, adapts to the three dimensions including linguistic structure,cultural context and readers’ cognitive reception in order to make the translated textsurvive and be accepted in the target environment. What’s more, based on analyzingtranslation of parodic words in the novel, it is found that for translation of parody asa rhetoric device, translator tends to place more emphasis on the restoration of the original form or reconstructing similar wordplay effect while putting thetransformation of cultural connotation at a secondary place. And when language form,cultural connotation and artistic effect of parody can not be realized at the same time,translator will follow a principle by which he tries to deliver the communicativeintention of the ST author and helps realize a relatively successful communicationbetween ST author and TT readers.