A Study Of The English Translation Of Wei Cheng From The Perspective Of Medio-Translatology

Translated under the joint efforts of Jeanne Kelly and Nathan K. Mao, FortressBesieged, the English translation of Wei Cheng, had received wild acclamation amongthe Sinologists in English speaking countries, especially in America, ever since thefirst publication in1979by Indiana University Press, and received the MostOutstanding Academic Award in1980-81from the American Library Association. Theinfluence of Fortress Besieged extended from the filed of Sinology to the mass culturemarket in English speaking countries, after it was republished by the American NewDirections Publishing Corporation in2004, and adopted among the ranks of thePenguin Modern Classics in2005.Despite its successful introduction into English speaking countries, the study onFortress Besieged has yet been restricted to linguistic analysis, and there’s little studywith a focus on its translation and introduction model. Therefore, this paper attemptsto investigate the features of the translation and introduction model of FortressBesieged from the perspective of Medio-Translatology and Manipulation Theory,through analyzing its translation strategy, and the manipulation by the patronageduring the popularization of Fortress Besieged in English speaking countries.The research of this paper is conducted by means of descriptive analysis and casestudy, based on the collection of historical materials. The main content of this paperincludes the following parts.The introduction part provides a general background of the research, includingexplaining the subject and theoretical framework of the research, a review of relevantstudies and the creativeness and research methodologies of this paper.The first chapter gives a brief introduction of the reception of Fortress Besiegedin both America and England, including its publication in these countries, relevantliterary reviews, and inclusion in the anthologies of world literature. The second chapter investigates the translation strategy and methods employed in FortressBesieged through analyzing the academic background of the two translators. The thirdchapter analyses the manipulation by the patronage during the two historical periodsof the spread and popularization of Fortress Besieged in English speaking countries.The last part draws a conclusion of this paper with some suggestions provided onthe translation and introduction of Chinese literature works into western countries.