Research On Li Jihong’s Translation Of The Kite Runner From The Perspective Of Reader-response Theory

On the basis of reader-response theory proposed by Hans Robert Jauss and Wolfgang Iser, this thesisattempts to analyze Li Jihong’s translation of The Kite Runner from four levels of lexis, rhetoric, syntax andculture and aims to explore translation strategies adopted in the process of translation. Different from mostcurrent translation studies, the present theory, shifting the emphasis away from the original text as thedeterminer of meaning towards the reader as an important participant, focuses on the reader’s reception inthe process of translation. The thesis studies how the translator adopts his translation strategies according totarget text readers’ horizon of expectations, aesthetic distances, and aesthetic abilities and so on. Since LiJihong’s Chinese version Zhui Fengzheng de Ren （《追风筝的人》）has been very popular both at homeand abroad and remains at the top of best-selling list, the present thesis selects it as the research object.The present study shows that the success of Li’s translation of The Kite Runner does not come aboutby chance. The translator, at different stages, does make choices and adopts the corresponding strategiesaccording to target text readers’ horizon of expectations, aesthetic distances and aesthetic abilities and so on.Most of the readers do not understand Islamic culture; so the translator transforms those content concerningIslamic culture in the source text into the expressions in line with the cultural customs of the targetlanguage. Also, the translator either deletes or weakens such content which are aggressive or negative to thetarget language culture. Meanwhile, in rhetorical terms, the translator employs parallelism, irony and otherdevices, which are more suitable to the reading habits and aesthetic interest of target text readers, to makethe Chinese version easier to understand. Therefore, the thesis, with the application of reader-responsetheory, provides a new perspective for the research to Li Jihong’s translation of The Kite Runner. Theresults of this study attempt to offer useful reference for translation studies activity.