A Sociological Analysis Of Allan Barr's Translation Of Chinese Idioms And Sayings In Yu Hua's The Seventh Day

Di Qi Tian(???),the most recent novel written by contemporary Chinese writer Yu Hua,was initially published in 2013.In this novel Yu Hua portrays the life of ordinary Chinese people and exposes some social problems China is grappling with by using a“ghost narrative”.It is highly controversial in China for its“news-stacking”writing style.In 2015,its English version titled The Seventh Day translated by American sinologist Allan Barr was published by the New York-based Pantheon Books of Random House.And it immediately met with critical acclaim in the Anglophone world.There are,however,not many studies on the English version and the translator himself.Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's field theory and Daniel Simeoni's concept of the translator's habitus,this thesis aims to describe and explain Allan Barr's translation strategies for dealing with Chinese idioms and sayings in the novel in the light of his translator's habitus.Methodologically,both quantitative and qualitative analyses will be used.The thesis comprises four central chapters in addition to Introduction,Conclusion and Appendices.The Introduction states the research background,aim,scope of this study and sketches the structure of this thesis.Chapter One offers a critical review of the existing literature on the novel itself and its English translation.Chapter Two introduces the theoretical framework adopted in this study.Chapter Three traces Allan Barr's professional trajectory as a scholar-translator of contemporary Chinese literature and analyzes his translator's habitus.It is observed that Allan Barr's professional habitus has influenced both his selection of The Seventh Day for translation and his general approach to translation.His translator's habitus is elaborated on in terms of his preference in the selection of original texts for translation,his views on translation and the translation strategies he tends to employ.Chapter Four aims to find out the translator's overall tendency to employ translation strategies for Chinese idioms and sayings and examine the influence of the translator's habitus on such translation strategies.The author collected 68 Chinese idioms and 25 Chinese sayings from the Chinese text and then analyzed their corresponding English translations with reference to domestication and foreignization defined by Lawrence Venuti.The findings show that when translating the idioms Allan Barr mainly employs domestication(which amounts to 46%)while the percentage of foreignization is only 16%.Yet when it comes to the sayings,the proportion of foreignization used(48%)is twice as much as domestication(24%).In both cases,other translation strategies are also employed,with the majority going to paraphrase or free translation.On the whole,however,he has tried to give a balanced treatment of domestication and foreignization.Chapter Four also looks at 15 examples to analyze the translation strategies for rendering the Chinese idioms and sayings,attempting to probe into the translator's decision-making process.It is found that although Allan Barr frequently employs domestication and foreignization,his translation is highly flexible,which evinces both his concern for the target readers and an attempt to retain the original flavor of Chinese culture.This is followed by a discussion of the influence of the translator's habitus,i.e.his views on translation and his professional identity as a scholar-translator,on his general approach to translation.It is argued that Allan Barr's translation strategies are a product of his translator's habitus.The Conclusion summarizes the main findings and conclusions of this study,followed by brief discussions of its implications.It is noted that as is influenced by his translator's habitus,Allan Barr's flexibility and resourcefulness in translating the Chinese idioms and sayings in The Seventh Day can help promote the novel's reception in the Anglophone world.And a study from a sociological perspective,examining the processes of its production,publication and dissemination,will enable us to better understand its actual reception in the West.