Analysis On Travelogue Translation In The Cultural Perspective

Travelogues not only help introduce the tourist attractions, but also reflect the literarycharacter as prose shows. Therefore travelogue translation at home and abroad mostly isstudied as prose or practical text translation. At present the “cultural turn” deviates thetranslation study to the cultural aspect. The “cultural turn” was proposed by Bassnett andLefevere in the book translation, history and culture (1990). It develops a new dimensionof translation studies, which is considered as a turning point. Thus this view turnstranslation studies form linguistic angle to cultural angle. With the further development ofthis research, until now more attention has been paid to control factors such as authors andtranslators in translation studies, which becomes a new trend of translation studies.This thesis analyzes translation strategies of14travelogues in Forget the Old andBring on the New York (2008) from the cultural perspective with the guidance of the latestdomestic research findings of cultural translation. Based on the cultural translation theoryproposed by Professor Zhou Zhipei in the book Culturology and Translation (2013),translation strategies of cultural elements are discussed from the aspects of culturaltransplantation, fusion and assimilation. Meanwhile, given travelogues have thecharacteristics of literary prose, translation esthetical requirements are also mentioned inthis thesis. In addition, one of the control factors, namely the dominant role of translators,is elaborated as well, because the translation of cultural elements can be manipulated andinfluenced by different factors.Travelogues convey much cultural information. It is helpful for translation strategiesselection to analyze travelogue translation from the aspects of cultural transplantation,fusion and assimilation, and also contributes to the cultural diffusion and exchange.Professor Zhou Zhipei’s translation theory plays an important guiding role in the study of travelogue translation. Furthermore, considering the features of travelogues, literaryaesthetic and the dominant role played by translators should also be concerned.