A Study On Translation Strategies Of Science Fiction From The Perspective Of Eco-Translatology

Science fiction is the motivator of science,which inspires human beings to explore the unknown.It also plays a pivotal role in the scientific cultural interactions between China and the West.Science fiction is a unique literary by blending science with literature,and featuring extensive fictional narratives,which intensifies the translation challenges.Moreover,although the development of science fiction has spanned over a century both domestically and internationally,the monographic theories and researches are numbered.The emergence of Eco-translatology provides a more comprehensive framework and a novel perspective for science fiction translation studies,contributing to the exploration of more applicable translation strategies.This thesis selects a piece of prominent science fiction novel The Time Machine by H.G.Wells and two Chinese translations by Shen Shiguang and Zhang Leifang as the research objects.Both comparative and textual analysis approaches are employed by the author to carry out an effective study.The research begins by compiling and analyzing the typical mistranslations found in Shen Shiguang’s edition.In the following section,guided by the theory of Three-dimensional Transformations in Eco-translatology,the author filters examples of texts embodying characteristics of science fiction and conducts a comparative analysis of the two Chinese versions from the linguistic,cultural and communicative dimensions,respectively.The thesis concludes with practical translation strategies for problem solving.According to the findings,the majority of constraints in Shen’s samples prevail at the linguistic level,consisting of mistranslations of proper nouns,Europeanized phenomena in syntax,and inconsistency in language style;the remainders occur at two other levels,namely,cultural gap and failure in intercultural communication.The defects are primarily attributed to the translator’s reliance on transliteration,word-for-word translation,or literal translation solely,regardless of bilingual differences as well as the feelings of intended readers.To address the issues,the author comes up with the following solutions after comparing with Zhang Leifang’s version:In light of linguistic-dimensional transformation,the translator takes the lexical,syntactic,and stylistic aspects into account and adopts substitution strategy,parts of speech conversion,restructuring,omission and amplification,four-character structure,and rhetorical devices;Cultural-dimensional transformation puts forth“依归原语生态"(lean on source ecology)plus annotations or explanations;Communicative-dimensional transformation espouses reconciliation of literal and free translation.The implementation of diverse translation strategies conduces to eliminating mistranslations and fulfilling information gaps,which further facilitates the demonstrations of scientific,imaginative,and literary textures.Simultaneously,the exercises of adaptable strategies have maintained the ecological equilibrium of two different languages and cultures while maximizing the purpose of communication.Finally,the overall quality of science fiction translation has been greatly elevated.