A Study On The Translation Of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone From The Perspective Of Reception Theory

Since the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 1997, the Harry Potter serieshas got an unexpected success with its amazing sales. Though many a research has been done on thenovel, most of them are about the theme of the novel as well as its transmission; few researches havebeen done on the translation of that novel, particularly from the perspective of reception theory.In China, Harry Potter is welcomed by large number of readers; many Chinese readers appreciatethat novel through the translated versions. In its original, Harry Potter is characterized by itswell-postulated plot, natural and live characters, and simple style of language use. In translating thenovel, the translator shall have to transfer not only the language style of the original, but also theimplied information, so as to make sure the readers of translated versions get the same as the originalreaders did. This requires translators pay due attention to the reception of the target reader, as well asthe original’s content and characteristics of the style.The success of Chinese versions of the series and the popularity of the novel are indispensablefrom translators’efforts and the guiding of relevant theories. Reception theory, put forward by“theConstance School”in 1960s and with Hans Robert Jauss and Wolfgang Iser as the major representatives,could provide translators very great help in producing versions easier to be accepted by readers. Thistheory is distinctive because the major focus of study is on readers, rather than the traditionalauthor-centered or text-centered.With the main concepts of reception theory, the thesis chooses two Chinese versions of HarryPotter and the Philosopher’s Stone to analyze and proves that, in the process of translating works suchas Harry Potter, translator must pay attention to the features of target readers besides the basictranslation principles. And the translators can not produce good versions if they don’t take care of targetreaders’different background knowledge, specific tastes and appreciation levels. Practical analysis ofthe novel has proved the practicability and effectiveness of reception theory on the study of literaturetranslation and it is expected to help translators produce better translated works.