On The English Translation Of Red Sorghum From The Functional Equivalence Perspective

Functional equivalence theory was put forward by well-known translation theorist Eugene A. Nida. Nida states that translation means recurring the information of the original source text in the closest natural way. He stresses the meaning over the style, meaning first, and then the style. In addition, functional equivalence theory attaches great importance to the response of the target readers. In this way, the target readers can finally get the same response as the readers of the original. Red Sorghum is a remarkable masterpiece written by the famous Chinese writer Mo Yan in his early stage of writing. And at the same time, it is a perfect work combining profound meaning and particular style. This thesis conducts a systematic study on the English version of Red Sorghum from the functional equivalence perspective and analyzes how the translator achieves the closest natural equivalence with the original.The thesis is made up of five parts. Chapter One is the introduction of the research purpose, research significance, research methodology and the structure of the thesis. Chapter Two is the literature review which summarizes the previous studies on the English version of Red Sorghum and the application of functional equivalence theory in translation studies. Chapter Three mainly introduces Nida and his functional equivalence theory. Chapter Four is the key part of the thesis, which explores translation methods that achieve equivalence in meaning and style with the original through detailed analysis between the original Red Sorghum and its English version. The last chapter deals with the conclusion of the thesis, summarizing the major findings and limitations and offering suggestions for further researches in this field.Through the study, a conclusion can be drawn as follows: the translator flexibly applies different translation methods such as literal translation, free translation, amplification, omission, transliteration and replacing to reach equivalence of the original so that the target readers can better understand and accept the translation. The author hopes that this thesis can bring some enlightenment to other translators and the researchers can pay more attention to the significance of functional equivalence theory as guidance for literary translation.