On Self-translation Of Eileen Chang’s "Jinsuo Ji"from A Cultural Translation Perspective

This paper explores the translation strategies that deal with the cultural default in Eileen Chang’s self-translation of "Jinsuo ji"(The Golden Cangue). Based on that analysis, the author reveals the cultural factors that result in the use of those strategies.In the chapter of literature review and background knowledge, Susan Bassnett’s cultural translation theory is introduced to provide theoretical support for the thesis. Then Wang Dongfeng’s cultural default theory and its coping strategies are discussed. A background of Miss Eileen Chang and the translation and rewriting of ’Jinsuo ji" shows the viability to employ Bassnett and Wang Dongfeng’s theories.In the next chapter, four eminent cultural features in "Jinsuo ji" are classified and their translation strategies to cope with cultural default are summarized. These features include names and proper nouns, color words, idioms, spoken words and dialects, and reiterative words and onomatopoeic words. The chapter then explores the extra-textual factors that contribute to the use of those strategies.The paper concludes that main strategies that Miss Eileen Chang used are word-for-word translation or word-for-word translation and annotation, domestication and transliteration. The extra-textual factors include patronage, literal trend and the author’s own experience of rewriting the source text. Therefore, in cross-cultural communication, both the intra-textual and extra-textual factors deserve to be focused.