A Report On The Translation Of Rhetorical Devices In The Sound Of The Singing Under The Guidance Of Functional Equivalence Theory

This is a report on translating Margaret Lawrence’s short story—The Sound of the Singing,focusing on translation strategies over rhetorical devices such as simile,allusion,metonymy,onomatopoeia,end rhyme,etc,which the author uses frequently to enhance literary expression in the short fiction.Due to differences in terms of culture,history,geography,linguistic structure and other factors between China and Canada,readers of the target language may hardly understand and appreciate rhetorical devices as readers of source language do.Under the theoretical guidance of functional equivalence put forward by Eugene A.Nida,various translation strategies are employed to realize the functional equivalence of rhetorical devices between the original and target text,enabling readers of the translated text to understand and appreciate the translated rhetorical devices in much the same way as readers of source language do.The conclusion can be drawn as follows:first,in terms of semantic rhetoric,the translator uses strategies of conversion,annotation,and free translation to convey intentions and meanings of the original text,without rigidly conforming to the original form;second,concerning structural rhetoric,literal translation is adopted to realize the maximal equivalence in content and form;third,as to phonological rhetoric,the meaning takes precedence over style,although the translation may potentially reduce the original beauty and rhyme.