Translating Drama For Theatrical Performance:a Comparative Study Of Two Chinese Translations Of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance Of Being Earnest

This thesis probes into a specific area in translation studies-drama translation. Among many genres of literature, drama is the one that distinguishes itself with its defining characteristic; that is, drama is not only written to be read but also to be staged. Drama translation confronts the translator with special problems because a dramatic text is supposed to be staged and received by the audience, who takes up a different role from the reader. Due to the limited scope, the thesis only focuses on the linguistic aspect of drama translation. In the light of Skopos theory, this thesis is to compare the two Chinese translations in the perspective of "speakability", and "performability", which scholars and theorists have laid their emphasis on.The source text to be discussed is Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest, highly appreciated for Wilde’s brilliant art of language, which is seen in his unparalleled use of epigrams, parody, paradox, figurative speech, allusion and wordplay. The two Chinese translations to be compared are respectively Yu Guangzhong’s translation and Zhang Nanfeng’s. This comparison was mainly on whether and how the two Chinese versions have maintained the linguistic features of Wilde’s Earnest and the effect of achieving "speakability" and "performability". Based on the findings, the thesis hopes to provide some suggestion for further study in the field of drama translation.This thesis is divided into seven chapters. The first chapter introduces the research background and questions needed to be solved in this thesis. It also lays out the significance in conducting this study. The second chapter reviews the previous studies on Oscar Wilde and the translating of his works in the Chinese society, which set a basis for the study conducted in this thesis. Chapter Three sets the theoretical framework for the thesis, which reviews Skopos theory and its relation to drama translation. Chapter Four introduces the literary genre of drama and analyzes its features. Besides, drama translation conducted in China and in the West are also included in this part. In Chapter Five, Oscar Wilde and his masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest are presented, combined with his brilliant use of language art. Chapter Six conducts a comparison of the two Chinese translations of Earnest in the light of Skopos theory. The comparison is directed to the point of how much they have preserved and reflected Wilde’s use of language art in Earnest in the light of "speakability" and "performability". The last chapter concludes the thesis by offering the findings and suggestions for future studies. It is hoped that this thesis can give helpful instruction to translators in producing speakable and performable drama translation for better stage effect.