A Comparative Study Of Feng Yidai’s Translations Of The Fifth Column

From the middle20th century, translation norm theory provides a theoretical basis for the transferring of translation studies from a prescriptive to a descriptive angle. In the translating process, a translator will adopt various strategies in order that the translated text can be understood and accepted in the target language. This thesis takes the two Chinese versions of Ernest Hemingway’s The Fifth Column in the1940s and the1980s as the data, combining with Chesterman’s translation norm theory, aiming at answering the following questions:(1) What are the differences between the translation strategies Feng adopted in the1940s’version and the1980s’version?(2) Why do these differences exist? Are they influenced by expectancy norms or professional norms during the two periods?(3) How do translators adopt translation strategies in order to conform to translation norms properly?This thesis adopts the methods of content analysis and comparative study, analyzing and comparing aspects such as the translations of proper names and the transferring of sentence structures in the two Chinese versions. It can be found that the translator applied different translation strategies in these two periods. Moreover, the retrospection of social backgrounds in the1940s and the1980s helps the thesis to get a conclusion that translating activities are to some extent under the influence of translation norms in a certain period.Specifically, through a content analysis, it can be found that the translator applied literal translation strategy and Europeanized expressions in the1940s’version; while a combination of literal translation and free translation strategies is used in the1980s’ version. This shows that expectancy norms influence the macro expressions and strategies in the translating process. However, the translator adopted transliteration strategy in translating proper names in the1940s’version; whereas in the1980s’ version, the translator employed strategies such as cultural annotation and omission. This manifests that professional norms impact the choice of specific translation strategies.Through the above analysis, conclusions are as follows:firstly, a translator should take readers’ reception into consideration in the translating process. The translator can combine literal translation and free translation strategies according to different situations. Particularly in translating dramas, translation language should be popularized so that the translation work can be easily understood and accepted by target readers. In this way, the translator conforms to expectancy norms. Moreover, in translating proper names such as place names and institution names that have no correspondent expressions in the target language, a translator can apply transliteration strategies. This can contribute to target readers’ better appreciation of the source culture.A translator can employ translation strategies such as annotation, amplification and omission in translating the parts that are difficult to understand, in which way target readers can get a better knowledge of the original text’s content. Consequently, the translator abides by professional norms. In short, the implication is that translators should adopt translation strategies according to different situations so as to conform to translation norms appropriately.