Transference Of Cultural Images In Chinese-english Translation

Literature is an art of language and image is an important means ofachieving the artistic value of literary works. There have beentremendous researches and statements on image in different historicalperiods both at home and abroad. In recent years with the increase ofcultural exchanges around the world, the exchanges between differentcountries have reached an unprecedented level in terms of scope anddepth. Translation plays an inestimable role in it. But previous translationstudies usually focused on the shift between different texts, neglecting thetransference of cultural elements and information. This especiallyhappened to the translation of cultural images. As readers have a curiosityabout exotic things, employment of domestication will deprive them ofthe chance to get to know vivid cultural images from other cultureswhereas employment of foreignization will contradict with the nativeculture. This poses a big problem for translators.Reception aesthetics attaches great importance to the role of readers.It holds that the historical life of a literary work is unthinkable withoutthe participation of the readers. In the reception of a literary work, thereader does not play a passive role. Their horizon of expectations directlyaffects the understanding and acceptance of a text. Having given a briefintroduction of the major points of Jauss and Iser, two central figures inreception theory, this paper analyzes the insights translation studies can gain from reception theory, thus providing a new perspective fortranslation studies.Translation involves two basic procedures: the understanding of thesource text and the expression of it in the target language. The translatorplays the role of a mediator. As a special reader, he has his own horizonof expectations which may affect his understanding of the source text. Onthe other hand, when he renders the text into another language, he mustalso take into consideration the horizon of expectations and psychologicaldemand of his readers.The translation of cultural images is a complicated cross-culturalactivity, involving language, culture and aesthetics among others.Through a detailed analysis of the three English versions of Fu Sheng LiuJi, the writer of thesis has gained a better understanding of the culturalimages in it, their different types as well as the different translationstrategies three translators have used. The writer holds that translators, asmediators in cross-cultural activities, need to have a good demand of aforeign language and a strong sense of cross-cultural consciousness.Besides, they need to take into account their readers’ ever-increasingreceptive ability and, using whatever means possible, transfer the culturalimages as much as possible.