On The Translation Of Cultural Images In Hong Lou Meng From The Perspective Of Reception Theory

In the present thesis, the author has applied the reception theory to the study of the great Chinese novel Hong Lou Meng, and of its two English versions by the Yangs and Hawkes respectively. As one of the greatest classics in the Chinese literature, Hong Lou Meng boasts of cultural images, which is one of the highlights of this novel. The complexity of the cultural images in terms of the "divergence of cultural images" poses great challenges to the translators. The rich and enormous cultural images in this novel have brought about great problems for the two translators to make adequate and appropriate rendering of the work. In the light of reception theory, the author abides by the model of analysis which is steered from the point of view of readers' reception, starting from analyzing the source text (ST) to see how the cultural images are interpreted in the source culture; then the focus would be shifted onto the two translated versions. The two translators' different methods of translation are analyzed respectively, and whether the target text readers (TTRs)' reception of the cultural images is promoted or hampered by different methods of translation, as the source cultural images may be kept or damaged and even lost through different renderings. The cultural analysis is conducted within the framework of five categories of cultures: ecological culture; material culture; social culture; historical culture and religious culture.The Yangs intend to retain and spread the Chinese cultural heritage. They fully believe in the TTRs' subjective initiative and ability of reception in their reading and exert great efforts to transmit and preserve the original cultural information in their translation, and mainly adopt the approach of foreignizing translation. By contrast, Hawkes intends to entertain the common English readers and to cater to their horizon of expectations and ability of reception. He therefore mainly adopts the approach of domesticating translation. However, the comparative study seems to prove that the Yangs' foreignizing translation is more effective and adequate for the TTRs to first perceive and then probably receive the target cultural images embedded in the TT. It is therefore the approach of foreignizing translation that shall be applied mainly in the...