The Translation Of Culturally Loaded Words In "Liao Zhai Zhi Yi"

Liaozhai zhiyi contains a large number of culturally-loaded words that reflect ancient Chinese culture.These words tend to cover cultural information in terms of history,society,and religion.The translation of these terms not only determines whether or not to find the formal meaning of the work,but also whether or not to convey connotations of classical Chinese literature.The cultural information,more difficult than linguistic information,constitute ones of the headache for translators.In the context of “ taking Chinese culture to the global stage”,the significance of this dissertation lies in the fact that,from concrete cases,it is possible to study and analyze the specific problems of the translation process and the appropriate solutions in a more pragmatic way.Among the many French translations,Chroniques de l'étrange,translated by AndréLévy,a sinologist specializing in Chinese classics,is the most complete and faithful version.The dissertation examines the translation of culturally-loaded words in AndréLévy's Chroniques de l' étrange.This thesis is divided into three parts : introduction,main text and conclusion.The main text is made up of four chapters : the first one reviews the dissemination and research of Liaozhai zhiyi in China and France,and gives a brief overview of the translator André Lévy as well as his translation Chroniques de l'étrange.The second chapter combines the definition and classification of culturally-loaded terms,emphasizing the generalization of the different cultural factors that appear in Chroniques de l'étrange and analyzing the translation difficulties due to their characteristics.Chapter three and chapter four respectively classify translation methods guided by domestication and alienation strategies and analyzes their applications and precautions.Containing a large number of examples,the third chapter divides the main foreignization methods used in phonetic translation and literal translation,the last chapter divides the main domestication methods used in free translation,substitution and omission.By generalizing the different modes of translation of the various culturally charged words,we draw a conclusion that the translator adopts a translation strategy focused on alienation and supplemented by domestication.In order to preserve the cultural messages of the work,the translator accompanies the different approaches with notes that fulfill both the function of interpretation and research.Of course,there is a long way to go in terms of the depth and breadth of the research.There are a great number of culturally loaded words in Liaozhai zhiyi and its translations are also multitudinous in France.Only a small part has been analyzed due to the author's research capacity.Further studies may provide a more complete and in-depth view of André Lévy's style and strategies by adding examples as well as comparing this translation with those of other translators.