A Comparative Study Of Three English Translations Of Romance Of The Western Bower

Romance of the Western Bower is the most distinguished drama in the Yuan dynasty. Based on theories of communicative translation, semantic translation as well as foreignization and domestication, this paper makes a comparative study of three English translations of the play of various times and probes into the linguistic and cultural features of translation.In the light of communicative translation and semantic translation, translators are expected to translate with an effect similar to that of the original and to keep the exact contextual meaning and semantic structures of the original as much as possible in the target language. The translational approaches adopted in the three English versions can be analyzed according to the above translating theories. Although Hart's translation is the first attempt in English-speaking countries, the version was marred by frequent omission and over-used adaptations. West and Idema managed to maintain the style and images of the original with precise authentication and down-to-earth dictions. Xu Yuanchong seemed to be in pursuit of linguistic beauty of translation, specifically, metrical rhythm similar to the original, to ensure an aesthetic impact.Theoretically, through domestication, translators attempt to produce a fluent text in which cultural dissimilarities are removed for readability, while through foreignization, translators fully display the disparities of the foreign culture and exotic elements are fully introduced to readers. Through comparative studies, it is found that Hart opted for footnotes to convey traditional Chinese culture in a general sense with some texts intentionally deleted from the play. West and Idema respected the other culture by faithfully conveying original flavor of the Chinese classical literature to western readers. Xu Yuanchong, in contrast, sedulously strived for nearly-perfect rhyming effects, but thus left cultural blankness behind occasionally. Obviously, Hart and West and Idema foreignized the source text while Xu Yuanchong seemed to have adopted domesticating strategy.The thesis then proceeds to discuss the causes for the different translating styles, pointing out that historical and literal background at different stages are the two main elements exerting influences on the three English versions. Finally, on the basis of resistant translation theory by Venuti, the thesis proposes that in translating Chinese classical literature, translators should retain original flavor of the source text in order to facilitate cultural transmission.