Functional Equivalence In The Translation Of Science Fiction

Based on the translation theory of Eugene. A. Nida, the great American linguist and translation theorist, this report presents a criticism of the author's translation of the excerpt of The Humans, a science fiction by British novelist Matt Haig. Science fiction boasts of its huge variety of world views and settings among all categories of novels. Though most are based on the known principles from scientific research and theoretic study, generally they are endowed with boundless imagination, or fictional settings.In light of these characteristics of science fictions, the particular contents and language will cause culture defaults, i.e. the absence of the relevant cultural background knowledge shared by the author and his/her intended readers, in the source language and the target language as well as their background.According to Nida's theory of functional equivalence, good translation is not only the transformation of text from one language to the other, but should also(1) present the original information,(2) retain the spirit and style of the original,(3) achieve language fluency, conforming to the rules and practice of the target language, and(4) bring the similar readers' effect. While guaranteeing the accuracy and wholeness of information and content, in order to retain the style of the original in the translated text, delivering the target language reader the same effect which the receptors of the source language can feel, it is significant to remain aware of the features exclusively for science fictions and adopt corresponding strategies in translation practice. In this regard, there is great potential and space for the application of "the theory of functional equivalence" in terms of achieving the equivalence in meaning, style and the feeling readers can attain.Matt Haig is a renowned contemporary British novelist. The science fiction The Humans is currently considered as his best and most humorous, witty and satirical sci-fi comedy. During translating, the author found that the writer of the novel tended to simulate a fictional identity or create a new background, in order to forge the feeling he aimed to bring readers and serve the purpose of his writing. This sort of background and identity usually differ from that can be found in the source language background, and also differ from that in the target language background after it is translated. Therefore, inevitably, there will appear culture default and language heterogeneity. According to the theory of reader's response, in light of ensuring that the target text readers derive similar feelings as the source text readers, it's essential to pursue a sort of dynamic equivalence on identity and perspective to better retain the style of the settings. It is a manifest of the equivalence on a higher level. Based upon the translation excerpt of The Humans as an research sample, the author analyzed the translation strategy in terms of culture default and language heterogeneity, paraphrasing text, and humor,and summarized the corresponding techniques and skills, expecting that it could serve as a reference and offer experience for the similar translating practice.