On Wang Zuoliang’s Style Of E-C Prose Translation

Wang Zuoliang (1916-1995) is a well-known English literature researcher and translator in China. As one of learned Chinese scholars in the circle of foreign language study, he was very gifted and contributed a lot to the English literature studies, translation studies and foreign language teaching. Besides, he translated a large number of classic poems and prose as well as novels (short stories) and dramas from English into Chinese or the other way round. All his translations are classic, fresh and meaningful. This thesis, through a case study of Wang’s translation of Of Studies, calls for attention to the study of his style of E-C prose translation.Due to the disparity among personal language proficiency, educational background, life experience, personal preference, translation experience and translation theory training, different translators produce different translation works of the same source text, In this sense, it leaves much room for studies on translators’ creativity and translation style. Translation style is a translator’s creative personality and characteristic use of language formatted and developed during his/her long-time translation practice. Since the "cultural turn in Translation Studies" in the1980s’ and1990s’, theorists have been calling for the more visibility of translators in cross-cultural communication and paying more and more attention to the study of translators’ translation style, which may be difficult to grasp but may be explored by probing into a translator’s creative personality and characteristic use of language in his/her translation works.Based on the author’s meticulous reading of works and papers on translator’s translation style at home and abroad, this thesis starts with the definition and formation of translation style. With Bacon’s Of Studies and its11Chinese versions as subjects, this thesis makes a descriptive study on Wang’s translation of Of Studies and10other Chinese versions from the aspects of source text comprehension and characteristic use of language at word, phrase and sentence levels. M. Baker suggests that the study of translation style should be focused on the manner of expression. Then this thesis summarizes Wang Zuoliang’s translation style and further explores the factors contributing to their formation.The findings of this study are that, based on the thorough and accurate grasp of source text, Wang Zuoliang employs large amounts of classical Chinese words, high frequency four-character phrases and regular classical Chinese sentence structure, fully displaying his style of "conciseness","elegance" and "emotional expression". To put it more specifically, in the practice of E-C prose translation, Wang Zuoliang adopts the shortest words, including large amounts of classical Chinese words and no colloquial words, making the translation more concise and elegant, and also accurately resembling the source text’s formal style. Wang’s application of high frequency four-character phrases and regular classical Chinese sentence structure not only results in a concise and elegant rendition, but also expresses his personal feelings, such as contempt towards schoolmen and approval of craft men in Of Studies. Moreover, by exploring the factors in the formation of his translation style, this study also singles out that Wang’s personal imprints of early life experience, education in English culture, learning in classical Chinese and his preference for source text selection jointly contribute considerably to the formation of his style of E-C prose translation.As an attempt to prove the possibility of studying translator’s translation style through the analysis of translator’s characteristic use of language, this study may provide a reference for the studies of Wang’s style of other literary forms, and help translators develop their own style more justifiably in the future practice of literary translation.