On The English Translation Of Culture-Loaded Words In Life From The Perspective Of Eco-Translatology

As the comprehensive national strength of China continues to rise,how to boost the national cultural soft power and promote Chinese culture "going out" has become a major mission for the country.In recent years,foreign translation of Chinese literature has become an essential way to introduce Chinese culture abroad.Culture-loaded words,as an important carrier of traditional Chinese culture,contain rich and unique cultural connotations.Therefore,the research on the English translation of culture-loaded words is conducive to improving the translation quality of Chinese literary works in order to tell China’s stories well and shape a real,reliable,and positive image of China.As one of the representative works of Shaanxi contemporary literature,Lu Yao’s novel Life contains many culture-loaded words with strong local features.The English version of Life,translated by American scholar Chloe Estep,was well-received by overseas readers upon its publication and has long ranked in the top 50 Chinese literature bestseller lists abroad.Thus,the thesis intends to study the English translation of culture-loaded words in Life from the perspective of Eco-translatology.Based on Eugene Nida’s classification of culture,the culture-loaded words in Life are divided into five categories.Due to the small amount of religious culture-loaded words in the novel,this research only focuses on the translation of culture-loaded words of the other four types,namely,ecological,material,social,and linguistic.Words in each category are subdivided into more specific items by the author so that the translation strategies and methods can be summarized.Moreover,the study tries to figure out how the translator carries out three-dimensional transformations to convey the cultural connotations of these words under the guidance of Eco-translatology proposed by Hu Gengshen.This thesis draws conclusions as follows.In general,in the translation of culture-loaded words in Life,Chloe Estep fully adapts herself to the translational eco-environment of the source text and flexibly adopts foreignization and domestication strategies to achieve"adaptation and selection" under multiple dimensions.To convey the meaning of these words accurately and smoothly,a variety of translation methods are employed in translation activity.Under the domestication strategy,she reproduces the content and form of the original text by using the methods,such as free translation(paraphrase,idiomatic translation)and imitation,to enhance the readability and fluency of the original text;under the strategy of foreignization,the application of literal translation,transliteration,and word-for-word translation preserves the exotic flavor of the source language and maintains the national identity of Chinese culture.To sum up,while considering the acceptability of the target readers,the translator also strives to retain the translational eco-environment of the source text,and achieves transformations under linguistic,cultural,and communicative dimensions,thus promoting the spread of this Chinese literary work in the foreign market.