On The Translation Of The Three-body Problem From The Perspective Of Adaptation And Selection

The Three-Body Problem is a novel written by hard science-fiction writer Liu Cixin.His work is featured with accurate and precise language,and fantastic and grand imagination,with emphasis on both humanistic care and rational thinking.This novel is highly praised as world-class Chinese science fiction.In 2014,The Three-Body Problem is translated into English by the Chinese-American science-fiction writer and translator Ken Liu.Upon publication,it received high praise from many science-fiction writers and science-fiction fans overseas.The Three-Body Problem was nominated by several international Science Fiction Awards,and eventually won the Hugo Award.This gratifying achievement is not only owed to the author’s efforts,but also inseparable from the translator’s flexible choice of translation strategies and adaptation to the reading habits of target readers.Translation is the circular process of translator’s adaptation and selection.The theory of Translation as Adaptation and Selection proposes that translator is the center of translation process and adheres to the principle of “multi-dimensional adaptation and adaptive selection” in order to achieve a high degree of holistic adaptation and selection.Within the theoretical framework of Translation as Adaptation and Selection,this thesis makes a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the English translation of The Three-Body Problem from the perspective of adaptation and selection.First,starting from the translator’s adaptation,the research investigates what factors the translator adapts to and how he adapts to those factors in the translational eco-environment.Then,from the angle of translator’s selection,the research reveals how the translator selects the target text and why he selects in that way on the basis of adaptation to the translational eco-environment.Finally,the thesis discusses the relationship between translator’s adaptation and selection.It is concluded that the English translation of The Three-Body Problem is the product of translator’s selective adaptation and adaptive selection with a relatively high degree of holistic adaptation and selection.In the translational eco-environment,the translator selectively adapts to his motivation and competence,the source text,the culture of the target language,the readers and the editor.Besides,the translator flexibly adopts translation strategies such as literal translation,free translation,annotation and addition,and makes adaptive selection and transformation on the three levels of linguistic dimension,cultural dimension and communicative dimension.In fact,translator’s adaptation and selection is a circular process of interaction.The thesis verifies that the approach to Translation as Adaptation and Selection is feasible to explain and guide the translation of science fiction.In addition,the research on the successful case of “Chinese literature going out” can enlighten the transmission of other literary works and science fiction in particular.