A Study On The English Translation Of Santi From The Perspective Of Translation Ethics

Translation is not only a kind of cross-cultural communication but also a complicated practical activity and social behavior.Translators,the key characters in the process of translation,should balance various human relations and cultures.Any translation needs the guidance of translation ethics.“Ethics of translation ” was first put forward by Antoine Berman in the 1980 s and then many scholars proposed different views on it,among which the five models of translation ethics(namely,ethics of representation,ethics of service,ethics of communication,norm-based ethics and ethics of commitment)held by Andrew Chesterman stood out.Then the concrete ethical requirements are systematically interpreted by Andrew and his approach has exerted a profound influence in academia.Santi is a famous science fiction written by Liu Cixin.The novel is characterized by precise and rigorous words,grand and magnificent imagination,as well as humanistic care and rational thinking.The work is acclaimed as an excellent one bringing Chinese science fiction to the world.In 2014,Santi was translated by a Chinese-American sci-fi writer and translator Ken Liu.After the publication of the English version,the novel was highly praised by overseas sci-fi fans and nominated for a number of international sci-fi awards and won the 73 rd Hugo Award in August 2015.Not only is this great honor inseparable from the author’s talents and efforts,but it is also a result of Ken Liu’s flexible translation methods and excellent translation skills.This study has analyzed the translation of Santi by Ken Liu in accordance with Chesterman’s five translation ethics.This study first explores translation methods in in the translation of Santi and then analyzes reasons for the choice of the translation methods from the perspective of Chesterman’s theory of translation ethics,and further studies the mediation among five models of translation ethics when they are in conflicts.It is found that translation methods such as literal translation,idiomatic translation,transliteration plus annotation and rewriting have been adopted in order to achieve the representation of translation ethics.The translator cannot follow all ethics at the same time,but he can choose the most appropriate ethics in a certain context.When dealing with most technical terms,he tends to follow the ethics of representation,using literal translation and retain the original scientific characteristics of the source language.When dealing with words of female features,scenery description and psychological description,he tends to follow the ethics of service,applying the translation method of rewriting to serve publishers and Western readers.When dealing with fixed expressions and idioms,he tends to follow the ethics of communication,using idiomatic translation to realize the communication between Chinese and Western cultures.When dealing with historical words,he tends to follow norm-based ethics,using transliteration plus annotation to meet the reading expectations of Western readers.When dealing with paragraphs,neologism and scenery descriptions,he tends to follow the ethics of commitment,applying the translation method of rewriting to pursue perfect translation.Due to the conflicts and overlaps among the five models of translation ethics,Ken Liu has made his own adjustment and coordination to make the translation readable,thus realizing cross-cultural communication.This study hopes to provide some references for the translation of science fiction and give some enlightenment to the translation of Chinese culture.