Under The Perspective Of Translation Variation Theory

The present thesis is a study on the translation of museum written narratives from the perspective of Translation Variation Theory. Museum written narratives are the written forms and templates of museum interpretation which is a practical and special branch of interpretation. The thesis is inspired by two translation projects that the author participated in 2014. The research materials of the thesis are mainly extracted from the texts of China’s First Emperor and His Afterlife Guardians: An Interpretive Guide to Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Mausoleum and the Terra-Cotta Army Museum, and supplemented by the transcript of China’s Terracotta Warriors: The First Emperor’s Legacy. This thesis endeavors to find and analyze the variation phenomena occurred during the translation process to testify the accessibility and feasibility of applying trans-editing and Thematic Interpretation to the translation of museum written narratives. The study presents the translation rules and strategies by elaborating the characteristics of museum narratives and comparing the differences between Chinese and English narratives. The thesis, with full consideration of preserving cultural information, adopts various variation methods such as addition, omission, restructuring as well as thematic approach, trying to convey cultural information efficiently. The study is a reflection of the translation projects which have already been well recognized and adopted by Emperor Qin Shihuang’s Mausoleum and The Terra-Cotta Army Museum. The thesis enriches the studies of trans-editing and Thematic Interpretation, probes into the problems occurred during the process of translation, aims to find the rule of creating fine museum written narratives and facilitate cultural transmission.