Comparison Of Main Translation Versions Of Pride And Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice has both great fame and a large number of readers in China. There have been about 20 versions of Chinese translation of this novel since the 1950s when the original translating version by Wang Keyi was published by Shanghai Yiwen Publishing House. The translators' translating techniques, features, the flaws in their work as well as the unique characteristics can be recognized by comparing the first translation and others. Translation versions by Wang Keyi, Sun Zhili and Liao Xuanting are analyzed and compared in this paper and the respective features and advantages as well as the common problems of these versions are pointed out. The main purpose of comparative studies in this paper is not to decide which translation is correct or the best, but to find out the factors that affect translation of a novel and to attempt to understand the novel completely and thoroughly.There are three chapters in this paper except for the preface and the conclusion. Chapter One is mainly about Jane Austen's life and writing style as a novelist and the art characteristics of Pride and Prejudice. Chapter Two covers the Chinese translation versions of the novel. Firstly the characteristics and the criticisms of these versions are introduced; secondly the reason why translation versions by Wang Keyi, Sun Zhili and Liao Xuanting has been chosen to be compared in this paper; and lastly the criteria and methods of translation comparison adopted in this paper. Chapter Three is the main body and the most important part, which is composed of three sections, encompassing a general comparison of the translating style between the three versions and the detailed comparison of examples from the very beginning, the climax and the end of the English novel.