Studies On Chinese Pun Translation Strategies From The Perspective Of Equivalent Effect Theory

As a special rhetoric device, pun is widely used in literature works. In general,pun can be classified into two categories: homophonic pun and homonymic pun. Inliterature works, pun plays an vital role in creating appropriate atmosphere, promotingthe development of the plot, exposing the personality of characters and implying thedoomed fate of characters. Puns are usually used to make a bitting satire or create akind of humor.The translation of pun is always a difficult problem in the field of translation,because it is untranslatable to some degree. Catford, a famous scholar, argued that theuntranslatability of pun due to language barrier and culture barrier. But Nida’sequivalent effect theory, considering many factors including culture and so on fromthe perspective of readers’ response, reducing the untranslatability of pun at a largeextent. As one of the most important translation theories, equivalent effect theorymakes translation get rid of the constraint of language. Then translators will neverstudy translation only from the perspective of language, but also from much widerperspective. Nida’s equivalent effect theory actually refers to the equivalence onculture. In terms of the equivalence on language, pun may be untranslatable, whilefrom the perspective of equivalence on culture, pun can be translatable.The puns widely used in the Chinese classical work A Dream of Red Mansionsprovide a good model for studies on the translation strategies of Chinese puntranslation. About this classical work, there are two most influential translatedversions: David Hawkes’ version and Yang Hsien-yi’s version. Therefore, the thesisaims to take puns in Cao Xueqin’s A Dream of Red Mansions and its two translatedversions as example to analyze and summarize the translation strategies of Chinesepuns from the perspective of cultural equivalence under the guidance of Nida’sequivalent effect theory. At the same time, it will also discuss the factors affectingtranslators with different cultural background when they translate puns. By making studies on the strategies of pun translation in A Dream of Red Mansions, we can studythat in order to achieve cultural equivalence, the same translation strategies can beused to realize cultural exchange and to achieve the goal of Nida’s equivalent effecttheory.