A Study Of Howard Goldblatt’s Translation Of Shengsi Pilao From The Perspective Of Translation As Adaptation And Selection

Howard Goldblatt is an outstanding sinologist and translator in America. Since 1980s’, he has translated many Chinese contemporary writers’works, such as Xiao Hong, Mo Yan, Su Tong, Zhu Tianwen, Jiang Rong and Jia Pingwa. He has been hailed as the chief translator of Chinese literature. He has great affection to Chinese language and he has studied Chinese literature for many years. His translation has been popular in foreign reader market due to his distinguished bilingual competence and his profound knowledge of Chinese literature. The impact of Chinese contemporary literature works in western countries has been enhanced thanks to his translation. Theses that analyze his translations have increased in recent years under the influence of the "going out strategy"Nowadays, ecologism is popular in different subjects, so interdisciplinary research is imperative. In these circumstances, Hu Gengshen, professor of Tsinghua University, put forward Translation as Adaptation and Selection which was based upon Darwin’s "adaptation/selection". This theory defines translation as’the translator’s adaptation and selection activities in the translational eco-environment’. As a new theory, it not only receives good reputation but also evokes some scholars’ objections.This thesis analyzes Howard Goldblatt’s translation of Shengsi Pilao in light of Translation as Adaptation and Selection. Howard Goldblatt’s selective adaptation and adaptive selection in translation process will be studied. Goldblatt’s adaptation will be analyzed from needs, competence and environment. Special rendering of idiomatic expressions and economization of expressions in the source text will be discussed through text analysis to show Goldblatt’s adaptive selection. This thesis tries to prove the explanatory power of Translation as Adaptation and Selection while gives efficient suggestions for China’s "going out strategy"This thesis points out:first, Translation as Adaptation and Selection can explain translation process to a certain degree; second, because of Howard Goldblatt’s interests in Chinese language and Chinese literature, his responsibility for translation, and his distinguished bilingual competence, he adapted to the translational eco-environment of Shengsi Pilao and made corresponding selection in terms of his adaptation to the elements in translational eco-environment. He chose different translation strategies and methods in light of different translational eco-environment; third, the sinologist’s model can be applied in the translational activities of Chinese literature.