On Chinese Translations Of Othello From Dynamics Of Adaptability

This thesis aims at approaching Chinese translations of Othello(mainly Zhu Shenghao’s version) from dynamics of adaptability by analyzing various adaptations Chinese translations of Othello have made in terms of temporal dimension, communicative context and language structure. Dynamics of adaptability means “the development of adaptation processes over time”(Verschueren, 2000: 66), “the process of(inter)adaptation in language use”(ibid. 147), whose key is to explore“the dynamic generation of meaning”(ibid). According to Verschueren,dynamics of adaptability in linguistic choice-making processes can be understood from three aspects. The first one is temporal dimension which refers to production and interpretation of language change over time.Time factors make language users make adjustments and adaptations when using language and these adjustments and adaptations, in return,can promote language variation and development. The second one is dynamics and context which means contextual constraints on language use; context includes linguistic contexts and communicative contexts like physical world, social world and language users’ mental world. The third one is dynamics and structure which means structure constraints on language use. Language users can choose to arrange information structure flexibly and to use different types of speech in different occasions.This thesis is divided into five parts. Introduction part introduces the significance theory of adaptation and dynamics of adaptability have on translation studies, the purpose and layout of this research. Chapter one is a literature review of Othello at home and abroad, its Chinese translations,and application of theory of adaptation in translation studies. Chapter two is theoretical foundation, which mainly introduces theory of adaptation and dynamics of adaptability and briefly touches on dynamics of adaptability in translation. Chapter three discusses adaptations Othello’s Chinese translations to temporal dimension, communicative context and language structure in terms of composing time and translating time,physical world, social world and mental world, lexicon, syntax and literary style. The last part is concluding remarks. Through analysis from the three aspects in chapter three, this thesis explores the necessity of retranslation in literary translation through close examinations from word choice to literary style in Chinese translations of Othello from dynamics of adaptability. A reliable translator would constantly make adaptations in the process of translation according to his translation purpose, the author’s intention, readers’ expectation and the like. In addition, this thesis, to some extent, examines and testifies the feasibility and instructiveness of dynamics of adaptability in approaching translation phenomena through giving examples and making comparisons. The author holds that studying translation processes and translations from dynamics of adaptability can be of great instructive value to translation practice; and dynamics of adaptability is of great feasibility and applicability to translation studies and has shed new lights on the construction of translation studies as an interdisciplinary study.