On The Translation Strategies Of Culture-loaded Words In Ruined City From The Perspective Of Skopos Theory

Fei Du,was written by Jia Pingwa and firstly published in China in 1993.It depicts the lives of intellectuals lived in Xijing,Shaanxi Province in 1980 s,reflecting contemporary China's social and economic transformation.It is also viewed by critics and scholars of Chinese literature as one of the most important novels of the twentieth century.Ruined City is the English version translated by Howard Goldblatt.After its publication,it has attracted many English-speaking readers.In the novel,an abundance of culture-loaded words have enriched the novel with local characteristics.Language and culture are tightly tied.As a carrier of culture,language represents the connotations of culture;While,culture affects language.Therefore,for the translators,the translation of culture-loaded words in the novel is undoubtedly hardcore.Skopos Theory is the core theory of German functionalism,emphasizing that the purpose of translation is the highest principle of translation process.This thesis analyzes the translation strategies and methods of culture-loaded words in the Ruined City from the perspective of Skopos Theory,aiming at analyzing the effect of Skopos Theory on translator's choice of translation strategies and methods.This thesis takes Howard Goldblatt's Ruined City as a case study.First,50 culture-loaded words are collected,summarized,sorted and analyzed.Then,the author divides them into five groups based on Nida's concept of culture factors,namely ecological culture,material culture,social culture,religious culture and linguistic culture.By analyzing the translation strategies and methods adopted by Howard Goldblatt,it has been concluded that under the guidance of the Skopos Theory,to some extent,the translator has employed foreignization and domestication,while foreignization is in high frequent.On the translation methods,the translator has adopted literal translation,transliteration,annotation,free translation,omission,substitution and amplification to meet the acceptance of target readers and better propagate Chinese culture.