A Comparative Study Of Two English Versions Of Luotuo Xiangzi Based On Power Discourse Theory

Michel Foucault puts forward power discourse theory, he believes that power isubiquitous, and there is no discourse that can exempt the influence of power.According to Foucault, discourse is not merely a noun or a category, is the third oneother than “parole” and “langue”. Meanwhile, discourse is not the simple combinationof words and sentences, is not under the control of grammar rules; it containsoverwhelmingly intricate power relations. All powers are realized by discourses,which in turn are the embodiment of powers.Recognized as “People’s Artist”, Lao She is noticeable for his humorous sarcasm,vivid description and strong local color. Luotuo Xiangzi, the representative work ofLao She, is the first novel of his professional writing which brings Lao She ahousehold name. The great success of this novel induces more than30translatedversions. This thesis attempts to make a comparison and contrast between the twoEnglish texts based on the theory of power and discourse. This paper uses adescriptive approach to compare two English texts: one version is Rickshaw Boytranslated by Evan King in1945and the other is Camel Xiangzi translated by ShiXiaojing in1981.The purpose of comparison is to analyze how the translators fromdifferent times and different countries producing different version in translating thesame novel under the influence of power and discourse. The two English versions arecompared from social, historical and cultural perspectives, together with linguisticaspects.There are different power and discourses in different times. Translation is a formof the discourses, which are dominated by the power relations of a particular time.There is visible power like law, prison and invisible power like culture, ideology andso on. Translation strategies are closely connected with these forms of power. This study indicates that Lao She’s original work as well as his revised version; EvanKing’s alteration of plot and ending, addition, omission and mistranslations of cultureimages; together with Shi Xiaojing’s faithful translation to Lao She’s revised versionare subject to power and discourse of a certain society. Literary works are the productof history, society and culture, translation is of no exception, they’re always generatedfrom certain contexts. They are subject to the influence of social and cultural factors,power discourse of a time. This research will not only help us better understand whathappened to Evan King and Shi Xiaojing’s translation and why they are happened, butwill also, most importantly, help us to perceive the social and cultural factors behindevery translation works, in other words, the power relations behind them. Furthermore,it is a beneficial complement to the studies of “power turn”; which contribute to maketranslation studies more comprehensive and subjective to some extent. It can be seenfrom this case study that translation must be studied in the broad context of prevailingpolitical and social conditions. It is often impossible to separate translation from itsenvironment so as to focus on linguistic alone.