Lin Taiyi's Rewriting In HER English Translation Of Jing Hua Yuan: A Postcolonial Approach

Postcolonial translation studies provide a new approach for translation studies.In the context of postcolonial translation theories,translation is a complex discursive activity and the product of unequal exchanges between cultures of power differentials.How to undo the confrontations and conflicts between different cultures and find a better discourse pattern for cultural exchanges are the main topics of researches in the field.Jing Hua Yuan(Flowers in the Mirror),written by Li Ruzhen around 1818,is a book of satire,fairy tale and historical romance.Authorized by UNESCO,Lin Taiyi translated it into English in 1965 and the Yilin Press republished it in a Chinese-English format as an addition to the series of Library of Chinese Classics in2005.There have been a lot of studies on Jing Hua Yuan,but few on its English translations.Contrary to traditional translation principles,Lin rewrote a lot in her translation.From postcolonial approach,this thesis is a descriptive case study of Jing Hua Yuan and will focus on how Lin Taiyi rewrote in her English translation and retained the heterogeneity in the original text after a detailed comparative analysis of the two translations.Through five translation methods: addition,abridgment,paraphrase,adaptation and variation,Lin rewrote a lot and kept the heterogeneity of the original text as much as possible,which makes her translation a hybrid text.Her translation strategy can be interpreted as the translation strategy of decolonization and is determined by her hybrid identity.Through rewriting,she tried to strike a balance between readability and heterogeneity.Her translation is readable and readers-driven,which will facilitate the dissemination of Chinese culture and to some extent influence the target language itself and thus the effect of decolonization is achieved.