A Computational Stylistics Study On Two Translation Versions Of Six Chapters Of A Floating Life-A Lexical-based Study

Six Chapters of a Floating Life is a note in the novel of the scholar Shen Fu’s plain style narrative of the leisurely life of an ordinary scholar in Qing Dynasty, the book so far has two English translations which are translated by Lin Yutang and Leonard Pratt respectively. Relatively speaking, the former translation in China spread wider and has greater impact. However, it is believed that Leonard Pratt’s translation version should not be ignored.The main focus of this study is in the comparison of the two English versions of a corpus-based study of two translations in lexial level, readabiity, etc. It is aimed to get a better study on the two translations with reliable scientific data; systematic exposition of the similarities and differences of the two translators in the translation style and translation techniques, meanwhile, to provide a reference for future researchers and bring hints for the translation teaching and research.Through the comparative study, we found that Lin Yutang and Pratt share similarities and differences in the translation of Six Chapters of a Floating Life. In the use of vocabulary, Lin Yutang’s translation is richer, at the same time, the use of three-letter word is higher in frequency; Pratt is more conservative in the use of vocabulary, but in general, the two translators are similar in dealing with translation of the text and in the use of vocabulary. The tendency of vocabulary richness alters with the changes of the content of the article.In this study, comparative study of translation style inspiration helps us to provide some reference for studying Lin Yutang and his work.