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Two English Translations of the Chinese Epic Novel Sanguo yanyi: A Descriptive and Functionalist Study by Lei FENG Dissertation presented for the degree of Doctor of Translation SStudies at Stellenbosch University Prromoter: Prof. A.E. Feinauer Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences December 2012 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Declaration By submitting this dissertation electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own, original work, that I am the sole author thereof (save to the extent explicitly otherwise stated), that reproduction and publication thereof by Stellenbosch University will not infringe any third party rights and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification. December 2012 FENG Lei Copyright © 2012 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Abstract This comparative study investigates the English translations of China’s first novel, Sanguo yanyi. The focus is firstly on describing the factors that affect the production of each of the translations and secondly on identifying and determining the approaches and strategies used by the two translators. The primary objective of the study is to gain a better understanding of literary translation between two distinctly different languages by objectively describing and analyzing the factors relevant to the production of the two translations. The secondary objective is to evaluate the two translations by using the functionalist approach to translation. To this end, the study determines which of the two translations better serves the purpose of providing South African students of Chinese with insight into and appreciation of some aspects of Chinese culture which would enhance their Chinese studies. The key theories and models that are introduced and applied are Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS), which was mainly established by Gideon Toury in the 1980s and the Functionalist Approach, which was established by Vermeer and Reiss also in the 1980s and further developed by Nord. DTS focuses on pragmatic aspects, such as social, cultural and communicative practices instead of only on linguistic units. Within this framework, decision- making processes and translational norms of the two translators of Sanguo yanyi are examined. Three representative chapters of the source text and their translations are selected as the focus of the investigation. Furthermore, a description of the entire translation process is provided – from the translators’ original planning and agents acting as patrons of the project to the approaches and strategies that the translators are considered to have adopted in the process of translating. Within Functionalism the function of the target text in the target culture determines which aspects of the source text should be transferred to the target text. From this theoretical approach the findings regarding the translation strategies and processes in the translations of Sanguo yanyi are used to ultimately determine the extent to which the translators succeed in conveying the collective memory of some of the cultural-historical issues in China to the target texts, while at the same time making the texts accessible to Western (South African) students. 2 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Opsomming In hierdie studie word daar ’n vergelykende ondersoek na twee Engelse vertalings van China se eerste roman, Sanguo yanyi, onderneem. Daar word eerstens gefokus op ’n beskrywing van die faktore wat die produksie van elk van die vertalings beïnvloed en daarna word die benaderings en strategieë geïdentifiseer wat deur die twee vertalers gebruik is. Die primêre doel van die studie is om ’n beter begrip van literêre vertaling tussen twee beduidend verskillende tale te verkry deur die faktore wat ’n rol in die betrokke vertaalprosesse speel op ’n objektiewe wyse te beskryf en te ondersoek. As sekondêre doelstelling word die twee vertalings binne die raamwerk van die funksionalistiese benadering tot vertaling geëvalueer. Daar word naamlik ondersoek watter een van die vertalings die beste slaag in die doel om aan Suid-Afrikaanse studente ’n dieper insig in en groter waardering vir sekere aspekte van die Chinese kultuur te verskaf ten einde hulle studie van die Chinese taal aan te vul. Die belangrikste teorieë en modelle wat gebruik word, is deskriptiewe vertaalstudie (DTS), wat as navorsingsrigting binne vertaling hoofsaaklik deur Gideon Toury in die tagtigerjare gevestig is, en funksionalisme, wat ook in die tagtigerjare deur Vermeer en Reiss ontwikkel is en later deur Nord uitgebrei is. DTS fokus op pragmatiese aspekte soos sosiale, kulturele en kommunikatiewe praktyke eerder as bloot op linguistiese eenhede, en die besluitnemingsprosesse en vertaalnorme van die twee vertalers van Sanguo yanyi word binne hierdie raamwerk ondersoek. Drie verteenwoordigende hoofstukke van die bronteks en hulle vertalings word as die fokus van die ondersoek gebruik. Verder kom ’n bespreking van die vertaalprosesse in die geheel aan bod – vanaf die vertalers se aanvanklike beplanning en agente wat as patronate van die projek optree tot die resepsie en invloed van die doeltekste in die Engelssprekende wêreld. Binne die funksionalisme bepaal die funksie van die doelteks binne die doelkultuur watter aspekte van die bronteks na die doelteks oorgedra word. Vanuit hierdie teoretiese benadering word die bevindinge rakende die vertaalstrategieë en –prosesse in die vertalings van Sanguo yanyi gebruik om uiteindelik te bepaal in watter mate die vertalers daarin slaag om die herinnering aan kultuurhistoriese kwessies in China in die doeltekste behoue te laat bly en die tekste terselfdertyd vir Westerse (Suid-Afrikaanse) studente toeganklik te maak. 3 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za 用描述翻译学和功能翻译理论对《三国演义》的两种英译本的研究 论文摘要 本论文是对中国第一部长篇小说《三国演义》的两种英文全译本进行的比较研究。研 究方法是首先对译本形成的相关因素进行描写，然后通过分析，归纳出译者在翻译过 程中所使用的方法和策略。研究的目的有二：一是尽可能客观地对《三国演义》两种 英译本的产生过程进行描述和分析，从而更加深入地了解英汉两种截然不同的语言之 间的文学翻译现象；二是借用功能翻译理论对两个译本进行评估，从而确定哪种译本 对南非汉语学生在了解中国文化、促进汉语学习等方面帮助更大。本文作者试图在译 语环境下找出译本的功能。原文中的三个章节被选用作研究文本。 本论文的理论依据是描述翻译学和功能翻译理论。前者产生于上世纪八十年代，代表 人物为以色列学者图里。后者与前者几乎同时形成，主要代表人物为德国学者弗米尔、 蕾丝以及诺德。描述翻译学主要的研究对象是翻译的社会、文化、交流等语用方面， 而非语言本身。以本文为例，两位译者为什么要选择翻译《三国演义》、他们的翻译 规范或标准是什么等方面都是描述翻译学的研究对象。此外，对整个翻译过程的描述 也是必不可少的一个环节。翻译过程包括最初的翻译计划、翻译发起人或赞助者、译 者在翻译过程中使用的方法和策略等。功能翻译理论把译本放在译语文化中进行研究。 翻译目的，即译作的功能是否满足译语文化的需求，是对所译原文内容进行遴选取舍 的标准。本文的第二项重点内容是借用功能翻译理论对两种译本的进行比较分析，试 图确定一种更适合南非汉语学生使用的译本。 4 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Acknowledgements First I offer my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Ilse Feinauer, who has supported me throughout my dissertation with her patience, knowledge and scholarship whilst allowing me the room to work in my own way. I attribute the level of my Doctor’s degree to her encouragement and effort and without her this dissertation, too, would not have been completed or written. I also benefited tremendously from attending a few relevant workshops in the UK, Belgium and South Africa during the completion of my dissertation. I would not have had the opportunities to attend these workshops without her recommendation. Secondly I would like to express my appreciation to my friends Aileen Maas and Michael Maas. During my stay in Stellenbosch, they kept giving me courage and support almost every time we had the opportunity to get together. Their support greatly facilitated the completion of my dissertation. Aileen also kindly offered to read all the chapters of my dissertation and gave me valuable feedback and suggestions which without doubt improved the quality of this project. I would also like to thank Ms Amy Yu, my former colleague at Stellenbosch, who contributed to my decision on taking Translation Studies as a research topic. Finally I thank my parents and my wife Li Li for supporting me throughout all my studies, especially at Stellenbosch University. The home my wife has provided for me has made it possible to complete my research and the writing of this dissertation. 5 Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za Table of Contents List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ 11 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................ 12 1.1 Background of the study .................................................................................................... 12 1.2 Brief background information on the two translations and translators .............................. 14 1.3 Overview of research conducted on the translations of Sanguo yanyi. .............................. 17 1.4 Problem statement and focus .............................................................................................. 22 1.5 Goals ................................................................................................................................... 23 1.6 Theoretical framework ....................................................................................................... 24 1.6.1 Retranslation hypothesis .............................................................................................. 24 1.6.2 Linguistic approach versus functionalist approach ...................................................... 24 1.6.3 Domestication versus foreignization ............................................................................ 25 1.6.4 Descriptive