A Study Of Translating Place Names Into English In Chinese Literary Works As Exemplified By Xi You Ji

The thesis attempts to study the English translation of place names in Chinese literary works as exemplified by Anthony C. Yu’s and W. J.F. Jenner’s English versions of Xi You Ji with the help of the Chinese-English Parallel Corpus of Shaoxing University of Arts and Science.The368place names in Xi You Ji can be classified into four types: administrative region names, natural geographical names, humanities building names and other special names.The study shows that the method of literal translation is adopted more frequently in translating the Chinese place names; that is, in the two English versions literal translations of places names account for about47.6%and40%respectively, while liberal translations, about20%and22.3%respectively.81%of cultural meanings of the place names is transmitted in various degrees in Yu’s version, while75.8%, in Jenner’s. Both Yu and Jenner try to translate the place names faithfully without limiting to specific translation methods; and based upon a good mastery of the formation and meanings of the originals, they translate flexibly in accordance with the purpose of translation.The author thus summaries the general rules for translating place names in Chinese literary works; that is, the methods of transliteration plus free translation as well as transliteration are usually adopted in rendering administrative region names; in dealing with natural geographical names, humanities building names and other special names, literal translation could be the translators’ prior consideration; other methods such as free translation, literal translation plus free translation, omission and amplification can be a second consideration if the cultural connotations of place names cannot be reproduced with literal translation.