Images Translation In Li Qingzhao’s Lyrics

Li Qingzhao is universally recognized as a remarkable poetess, whose works havebeen regarded highly valuable and possessed an important position in the history ofChinese literature. The research on her lyrics is a significant component of Chineseliterary history studies. The researches on translations of Li Qingzhao’s lyrics havebeen conducted home and abroad for nearly one century.This thesis chooses two English versions that are respectively translated by XuYuanchong, Rexroth Kenneth and Chung Ling, and studies culture images asintertextual signals. There are two ways to translate these images in two Englishversions: translating with the source intertextual signals, and translating with the targetintertextual signals. Then, this thesis studies the intertextual characteristics of theimages from language level and culture level. The former level discusses how oneimage keeps coherence with other images in original works, and how these coherencesare transferred in the two versions. The latter one focuses on analyzing culturaltransferring in the two versions.It is found that the images in Xu’s version are translated into the target signals sothat English readers can better understand the text, however, this kind of translationleads to culture lost at the same time. Images in the version of Rexroth, Kenneth andZhong Ling are transferred into the source signals and attached with notes in which alot of Chinese culture can be introduced. In order to acclimatize these images to theEnglish countries, Rexroth, Kenneth and Zhong Ling adjusted some images by addingand omitting.At last, this thesis summarizes the present reception status of the two Englishversions and analyzes some reasons for the status. Besides, this thesis hopes toenlighten the translation of poems from Chinese to English. The translators aresupposed to gain awareness of intertextuality such as relations between original worksand translated versions, relations between two translated versions, relations among theauthor, the translator and the readers, which then enables the emergence ofhigh-quality translations.