The Influence Of Translator’s Cultural Identity And The English Translations Of Hong Lou Meng

In the context of globalization, translation has become a cultural device. It not only involves text-text transformation, but also culture-culture transformation, in which various thinking patterns and life styles conflict as well as integrate with each other. One of the renowned pioneers of the "cultural turn", the British scholar Susan Bassnett maintains that instead of a pure language activity, translation is deeply rooted in the culture. Under this circumstance, translation is no longer just a pure technical transformation of language, but a transformation, interpretation and representation of culture as well. Thanks to the "cultural turn", the horizon of translation studies has been largely broadened. Moreover, since the translator is the most dynamic factor in the process of translation, his or her cultural identity has consequently become a significant issue in the translation studies.In the process of translation, the translator will not only consciously or subconsciously reveal his cultural identity, but also construct his cultural identity by choosing the original text, translation strategy, translation form and so on. Making an analysis of the translator’s cultural identity can help the scholars to achieve a much more profound understanding of a series of issues such as the translation purpose, translation attitude, to name only a few. In a word, translator’s cultural identity undoubtedly provides a new perspective for the translation studies.Hong Lou Meng, one of the greatest classics in Chinese literature, represents the highest level of the Chinese novel. It has been translated into more than ten languages and introduced to the foreign countries during the past one hundred and sixty years. In the translation field, a great many studies have been made on the translation of Hong Lou Meng. However, the most majority of the domestic and overseas translation studies of Hong Lou Meng still remain focusing on the issue of "how to translate", leaving the English versions of Hong Lou Meng in a "vacuum environment". In this thesis, the author starts from the perspective of the translator’s cultural identity and proceeds to analyze how the translators’ cultural identities influence their translations. The discussion of the translators’ cultural identities in the context of globalization brings a new parameter for the English translation studies of Hong Lou Meng.