Comparative Analysis Of The Translation Strategies Used In Two Chinese Versions The Joy Luck Club

Best seller the Joy Luck Club, written by Chinese-American writer, Amy Tan, has been welcomed worldwide. Many scholars have analyzed the literary achievements of the novel, and family conflicts and cultural identity of its characters. Still, translation offers a perspective to touch upon the novel. In 1990s, Andre Lefevere and Susan Bassnett, leading translation theorists of the School of Cultural Translation, have advocated "cultural turn" of translation. Since then, cultural translation has gained more scholarly attention. In a globalized world, transcultural communication is seen everywhere, which manifests the importance of transcultural mindset in dealing with translation. This thesis analyzes two Chinese versions of the Joy Luck Club from the perspective of cultural translation. First, it introduced the background and basic contents of cultural turn in translation and the importance of transcultural mindset in translation. Then, several translation methods applied by the translators were discussed. Moreover, mistranslations due to a lack of transcultural understanding of the translators were exemplified. It is essential to remember that the concept of delivering the meaning of original texts is the locus of all translation strategies. Only with a transcultural mindset can a translator truly dig the deep and multilayer connotation of source language.