On The Application Of Functional Equivalence Theory In The Translation Of Contemporary Chinese Novels

This paper is based on the translation of the first four chapters of Sojourner written by a famous contemporary writer Yan Geling. These chapters are characterized by diversified usage of description, narration and dialogues which is one of the most typical features of contemporary Chinese novels. The paper attempts to prove that functional equivalence has theoretical significance in the translation of contemporary Chinese novels through the analysis of the application of the theory in translating part of the novel.Firstly, the paper analyzes the original text in terms of language features and text styles. Secondly, it gives an introduction to the functional equivalence theory proposed by Nida and discusses its guiding significance in the translation of contemporary Chinese novels in the theoretical sense. Thirdly, in order to discuss the application of functional equivalence in the translation of contemporary Chinese novels, the paper makes an in-depth analysis of the translation of the first four chapters in the framework of functional equivalence and discusses how to achieve meaning equivalence in translating idioms, Shanghai local vocabulary and metaphorical expressions as well as style equivalence in translating first-person narration, dialogues and description of surroundings.