An Analysis Of The Transfer Of Cultural Images Adopted In Two English Versions Of Biancheng

With the increasing development of cultural communication, translation has been regarded as an important tool for communication between Eastern and Western countries. Cultural Image is a symbol of culture because culture images is derived from culture and reflects the richness of culture. If the translation of Chinese images isn’t clear enough, it can lead to the misunderstandings and misinterpretations of the original text. Therefore, cultural images play an important role in cross-cultural communication. Since the item of cultural images was put forward by Professor Xie Tianzhen, it has caught more attention both aboard and at home. The differences between Eastern and Western culture have a far-reaching impact on cultural images translation. With different ways of thinking and different historical and religious tradition, philosophy, language and culture, cultural images have been classified into five categories. A literary work with a lot of cultural images, owing to cultural connotation, is difficult to find equivalence in target language. Therefore, a comparative study of cultural images from the perspective of functional equivalence can not only help grasp the meaning of the image, but also help for readers understand the original culture and enjoy the beauty of the original context. That is to say, cultural images translation is of great importance in literary translation.As is known to us, translation of literary work may be difficult because all kinds of factors should be considered. Bian Cheng is written by Shen Congwen who is a Chinese novelist and essayist. Bian Cheng is actually a masterpiece in Chinese literature and contains many cultural images. How to produce the connotation of cultural images in the Border Town is a major task for translators. On one hand, cultural images can produce the special culture of Xiangxi, on the other hand, cultural images can help readers understand the local custom and harmonious life in Xiangxi. If cultural images translation were handled properly, it would make people better understand the original culture of Xiangxi. In this thesis, the author chooses two versions of Bian Cheng translated by Kinkley and Gladys Yang to make a study of cultural images translation. In the study, cultural images in the Border Town can be classified into five aspects and the author chooses some examples to interpret connotative meanings in each aspect. Through a comparative study, the author summarizes four strategies of cultural images translation, which are transliteration, literal translation, annotation and free translation. These strategies can either separate or combine with each other and can guide cultural images translation. Besides, there are some implications of cultural images translation by researching on the interpretation and transfer of cultural images.