The Dissemination Of Two Versions Of Dou E Yuan In The English World

The English translations of Dou E Yuan by Yang Xianyi,Gladys Yang and Shih Chung-wen are two influential versions,and they are also examples of "going global" and "spreading overseas" of Chinese culture.Taking the process theory of translational communication as the theoretical framework,and using the two translations above mentioned as the case,this thesis focuses on the four stages of translational communication,namely,the initiating stage,the translating stage,the transmission stage and the reception stage.The differences between the two versions in these four stages give us some enlightenments for the translation and dissemination of Chinese classics.Based on a comparative analysis of the two English versions of Dou E Yuan by Yang Xianyi,Gladys Yang and Shih Chung-wen in these four stages,this thesis draws the following conclusions:The communicator of translational communication or the motivation of the subject of translational communication has a profound impact on the four stages of translational communication.The subjects of translational communication of the two English versions of Dou E Yuan are the Foreign Languages Press and Shih Chung-wen herself.In the initiating stage of translational communication,based on different motivations,there are some differences on the original editions of Dou E Yuan as well as the choice of translators.In the translating stage,the translating activities of translators Yang Xianyi,Gladys Yang and Shih Chung-wen are mainly divided into two parts,namely the understanding period and the expressing period.In the understanding period,the translator needs to understand the motivation of the communicators as well as the original text.In the expressing period,according to the motivation of the communication subject,translators Yang Xianyi,Gladys Yang and Shih Chung-wen adopted different translation strategies and techniques to satisfy the needs of communication.The Foreign Languages Press,took the translation of Dou E Yuan as a part to introduce China and Chinese culture to the world,and the target readers were general readers.Thus,in order to make it easier to understand for general readers,translators Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang adopted translation strategies and techniques flexibly,for example,omission,free translation and so on.These translation strategies and techniques satisfied the needs of the communicator as well as the recipients,and conveyed Chinese culture in an effective way.As the communicator as well as the translator,Shih Chung-wen,aimed to take the English version of Dou E Yuan as the teaching material as well as research book,and the target readers were professional readers.Thus,she not only provided much background information of Dou E Yuan,but also used many annotations,which ranging from the differences between the Yuanqu Xuan edition of Dou E Yuan she used and the Gu Mingjia edition,to her confusions about the source text and so on.She also used annotations frequently to explain the relevant culture in the source text.However,the frequent use of annotations would affect the smoothness while reading.In the transmission stage,the two English versions of Dou E Yuan by these two groups of translators made use of the publishing house as the medium to promote the dissemination of this work.The Foreign Languages Press published the version by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang,in addition,it sought for cooperation with foreign publishing houses.Thus,this version has both paper edition and electronic edition,and it has also been republished and reprinted several times.This kind of cooperation facilitated the distribution of the work Dou E Yuan,since it can make use of the distribution channels of the Foreign Languages Press as well as those publishing houses in cooperation,which promote the dissemination of this work in the English world.Shih Chung-wen selected the Cambridge University Press to publish her version,which was also regarded as one of the books in Princeton-Cambridge Studies in Chinese Linguistics because of its research value.The distribution of Shih Chung-wen's version was mainly achieved by the branches of the Cambridge University Press.In the reception stage,feedbacks about the translated versions of Dou E Yuan by Yang Xianyi,Gladys Yang and Shih Chung-wen can be seen from academic papers and monographs,book review websites as well as shopping website.And the reception of these two versions can be seen from those feedbacks.The analysis of the process of translational communication between these two translations has brought some enlightenments for the translation of Chinese classics.In the present stage,when the "going global" of Chinese culture is regarded as the motivation of translation and dissemination of Chinese classics,we should focus on Chinese media of translational communication as well as translators.In the meanwhile,we can also make use of the media and translators in foreign countries,and promote the "going global" of Chinese culture.The translated version of Dou E Yuan by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang emphasized the acceptance of Chinese culture by general readers in the west.Moreover,the distribution of more formats of this version has produced good effect,which plays an important role in the dissemination of Dou E Yuan.Moreover,the translated version of Dou E Yuan by Shih Chung-wen has an impact on readers focusing on researches about Chinese cultures,thus,the influence of this version can not be neglected when it comes to the dissemination of Dou E Yuan.However,from the perspective of media,the form of medium adopted by these two translated versions is so limited,in other words,only the book publishers are used to promote the dissemination of the work.In addition,other forms of media of translational communication are not involved,for example,newspaper offices,radio stations,theaters,and websites.Various art forms such as film,television,drama,and painting all contribute to the dissemination of Chinese classics overseas.In this multi-media society,the translation and dissemination of Chinese classics should make use of various forms of media,which is a good way to attract more recipients,to expand the influence of translated versions and to promote the "going global" of Chinese culture.