A Study On Translation Variation Strategies Of Culture-Loaded Expressions In The Republic Of Wine

Culture-loaded expressions,also known as culture-specific words or culture-loaded words,refer to words（phrases）that represent things and concepts peculiar to certain cultures.Culture-loaded expressions are rich with national and regional characteristics.Their translation is particularly important for literary translation and cultural communication.The Republic of Wine is one of Mo Yan’s most important works.This novel was praised as “the most imaginative,rich and complex Chinese novel” by American Sinologist Howard Goldblatt.A large number of culture-loaded expressions appear in The Republic of Wine,covering five aspects: ecology,material,society,religion and language.This thesis chooses The Republic of Wine and its English version to explore translation variation strategies of culture-loaded expressions.Translation Variation Theory was first proposed by Chinese scholar Huang Zhonglian.“Translation variation” refers to the translation activity in which the translator absorbs relevant content of the original text by adopting flexible methods according to the special needs of specific readers under specific conditions.（Huang,2002: 96）Based on Translation Variation Theory,this thesis adopts the literature research method,case study method,parallel text contrast research method,and data analysis method to study the following research questions:（1）What kinds of culture-loaded expressions appear in The Republic of Wine?（2）What kinds of translation variation strategies did Howard Goldblatt use in the English version of The Republic of Wine?（3）What are the functions of those translation variation strategies?After the review and analysis,major findings are concluded in three aspects.（1）There are 2202 culture-loaded expressions in The Republic of Wine,including 71 ecological words,617 social words,266 material words,117 religious words,and 1202 linguistic words.（2）The translator Howard Goldblatt mainly adopts four translation variation strategies:rewording translation,omission,explanatory translation,and translation and writing.（3）The translation variation strategies mainly have the following three functions: meeting readers’ specific needs,reflecting the translator’s creativity,and highlighting the values of the original text.