A Comparative Study On The Translation Of Culture-loaded Expressions In The Palace Of Eternal Youth

The Palace of Eternal Youth is one of the top masterpieces among the dramaliterary works and translated into English by Yang Xianyi and Gladys, XuYuanchong and He Yubin. This thesis aims to explore the suitable translationstrategies for the CLEs in The Palace of Eternal Youth.In culture communication, there are gaps between the original author andtarget language readers. More studies on cultural translation not only can improvethe existing translation theories but also can guide translation practice.Relevance theory was proposed by Dan Sperber and Deridre Wilson in1980s.In1991, Ernest August Gutt first applied relevance theory to translation practices.Relevance is determined by contextual effects and processing efforts. Other thingsbeing equal, the stronger the contextual effects are, the weaker the processingeffort, the greater the relevance. The core of relevance theory is optimal relevance.It is when the recipient can achieve adequate contextual effect without makingunnecessary processing effort that optimal relevance is achieved.CLEs are one of the typical difficulties in the translation of literary works.According to Nida, CLEs are divided into five groups, namely, material,ecological, religious, social and lingual CLEs. Under the guidance of relevancetheory, this thesis attempts to explore suitable translation strategies for differentkinds of CLEs. In addition, this thesis analyzes the merits and demerits andrecommends suitable translation strategies for each kind of CLEs.The thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter1introduces the researchpurpose, significance and methodology. In chapter2, the relevant studies on ThePalace of Eternal Youth and CLEs are reviewed. Chapter3presents relevancetheory. In chapter4, a comparative study on CLEs in the three English versions ismade. Chapter5draws the conclusion.