A Study Of Three-Dimensional Transformations In Wang Zuoliang'S English Translation Of Lei Yu

Guided by the eco-translatology approach to translation as translator's adaptive selections and transformation in the translational eco-environment,this thesis undertakes to study the three-dimensional transformations in the English translation of Cao Yu's drama Thunderstorm by Wang Zuoliang and A.C.Barnes on the basis of the previous studies and the characteristics of drama translation.Three-dimensional transformations refer to the translators' adaptive transformations of the target text in the linguistic,cultural and communicative dimensions.In this study,analysis of linguistic transformation focuses on how the translation achieves speakability as a dramatic text and how figurative language is transformed.While speakability is approached from adaptive transformations toward colloquialism,brevity and musicality,transformations of figurative language are mapped from translations of words and expressions using such rhetoric devices as pun,metaphor and irony in the target text.As to cultural transformation,the study probes into appellations and culture-loaded words in Chinese and examine how they are transformed in English by the translators.In regard to adaptive transformation for communicative concerns,the study focuses on how the target text achieves actability,characterization and intelligibility.On the basis of the analysis above,the research findings are as follow: Firstly,as for linguistic transformation,the translators mainly select informal expressions,simple sentences,incomplete sentences,maintaining specific sentence structures,and preserving rhetoric in order to achieve successful linguistic transformation.Secondly,in cultural transformation,it's found that the translators opt to adapt to the target culture mainly by domestication when translating appellations and culture-loaded words.Thirdly,in communicative transformation,in the case of actability,it finds the translation well transforms physical activities and communicative intentions of the characters.As for characterization,it maintains that the translation vividly represents the unique personalities of the major characters by selecting specific discourse modes or speaking styles corresponding to characters' identity and personality.In the case of translating repeated words and run-on sentences,it finds adaptive transformations are well chosen for the sake of intelligibility of the text.In conclusion,the act of translating does take place in an environment wherein various elements come to play and demand translators' attention and selection.What this study reveals about the well-received English translation of Cao Yu's canonic dramatic text may shed a light on further studies of drama translation.Hopefully,it also suggests directions for producing high quality translation in general and helps to produce high quality translations that can survive for a long time in the literary eco-environment,promoting the communication of Chinese culture.