Report On The Translation Of Ripe Tangerines(Excerpt)

The translation material in this thesis is excerpted from the novel Juzi Hongle(Ripe Tangerines) written by Qi Jun from Taiwan, and two chapters thereof are selected as the translation material. In this thesis, the author analyses the key points and difficulties during translating the Chinese novel into English. The novel describes a story in late Qing Dynasty in a county in the south of China. The story is about traditional Chinese females like Meiling and tenant farmer Xiuhe who fight against the feudal marriage system for freedom. Qi Jun depicts the miserable lives of Chinese females in the “feudal society” of China by using plain but impressive language.This thesis consists of five parts. The introduction comes first, where the background and the purpose and significance of this translation practice are described in detail. The second part gives a detailed description of the translation task, comprising the main contents of the source text, the stylistic features of fictional language and the target readers. The third part focuses on translation process, consisting of preparations before translation, problems analysis in the translation and quality control after translation. The fourth part, case analysis, is the most important part of this thesis. Nida’s principle of equivalent effect is introduced as the theoretical basis and guidance for the translation practice, and translation strategies, like domestication and foreignization, are discussed for fictional translation. The author analyses some examples of the translated version under the guidance of Nida’s functional equivalence, mainly in terms of the rendering of culture-loaded words and reproduction of style and manner of fictional writing in translation. The last part is the conclusion of the translation task, comprising the difficulties met during the translation and suggestions for translation.By translating the excerpted material and analyzing the translation practice, the author has learned more about literature translation, especially the translation of culture-loaded words and the reproduction of style. In addition, the author hopes to provide references for novel translators and help foreigners to better understand Chinese culture.