A Study Of English Translation Of Chinese Classics In The Perspective Of Interpretant Theory

This thesis, taking the English versions of Chinese Li Sao for example, focuses on theevaluating function of Interpretant Theory proposed by Venuti for classics translation, and tries tostudy classics translation from the perspective of linguistics.To start with, the thesis gives its significance of the research, research questions, researchmethodology and the organization of the thesis. Then it goes on introducing the studies of classicstranslation theories at home and abroad and those of the English versions of Li Sao. Then thestructure of and basic concepts in Interpretant Theory are respectively demonstrated in detail inorder to lay the theoretical foundation for the textual analysis that follows, on the basis of which afurther account of Interpretant Theory is described in brevity. In order to study the evaluatingfunction of Interpretant Theory, several representative English versions of Chinese Li Sao areselected and the three orders of Interpretant Theory are used to study and evaluate these Englishversions. In the process of evaluating these English versions, signifier and signified are consideredto be the primary criteria, under which better translation is able to better transmit the signified of theForeign Text, continuously accumulating the classical axiology. Then the thesis elaborates Li Saoand its English versions respectively from the three orders of Interpretant Theory: in the first order(Foreign Language) are selected part of lines of Li Sao and annotations of these lines throughouthistory; in the second order of Translation as Metalanguage, signifier and signified of several majorEnglish versions at home and abroad are illustrated based on the episode of the lines of Li Sao; inthe third order of Translation as Axiology, we mainly elaborate the values on discipline, such asastronomy, history, folklore and patriotism, as well as literacy of English versions of Li Sao. After systematic comparison and evaluation, the thesis comes to the conclusion that Hawkes’sversion best interprets the signifier and signified of Foreign Text and will accumulate the classicalvalues in the rereading process, for it has combined the literary character and the scientific one ofthe original text whereas the other versions almost put more weight on either.