A Comparative Study Of The Thick Translation In Chinese And English Versions Of The Hmong Oral Epics

The Hmong Oral Epics is an ancient song collection sung by the Miao people in the Southeast of Guizhou.It is characterized with the antiphonal singing of questioning and answering.Since the 1950 s,ethnologists have begun to collect and collate Hmong Oral Epics and have published a dozen of Chinese versions and Miao-Chinese bilingual ones.In recent years,Hmong Oral Epics have been translated into foreign language,and two English versions have been published.This study aims to compare and analyze the similarities and differences between the Chinese versions and English ones of Hmong Oral Epics from the perspective of thick translation for the purpose of finding out the strategies adopted by the translators in translating the song.The research method mainly adopted in this study is the comparative analysis method.The target versions include six Chinese translations and two English translations of Hmong Oral Epics.The analysis is mainly based on qualitative analysis,which is supplemented by statistical analysis of related.The study indicates that,translators of Chinese versions usually use the preface and introduction to trace the history and the root of culture of the Miao.They also make the variety of commentary to compensate the cultural differences in Hmong Oral Epics.By using the pictures,the cultural information of the Miaois reproduced.In English versions,the translators also use the same translation strategies to present the historical,cultural,and linguistic characteristics of the Miao people.It is found that although the translators of both Chinese and English versions of Hmong Oral Epics use the same strategies to compensate the cultural differences,there are obvious differences in the selection of Thick Translation strategies and the focus on cultureelucidation.At the same time,the different cultural background of translators has a great impact on uses of Thick Translation strategies.In line with related translation theory and previous research results,this study analyzes the causes of those differences above-mentioned.The analysis shows those differences are not only related to the cultural differences among the target language culture and the Miao culture,but also related to target readers' familiarity and understanding of the Miao culture.This study is a supplement to the study of translation of the ethnic classics.The results of the study are of great significance to the translation of the classics of the Miao and other ethnic minorities.