A Study On Xu Yuanchong’s Translation Of Le Pere Goriot

The retranslation of literature is a quite notable phenomenon in the field of translation. Masterpieces of the great writers are repeatedly translated and usually have two or three translations, and some even have more than a dozen versions. For example, the number of the Chinese translation versions of the French writer Stendhal’s The Red and the Black is up to two dozen, which even led to a nationwide discussion on translation criteria. Different translations, showing different language features and translation style, not only give readers a wide range of choice, but also contribute to a sustained and deep exploration on translation essential issues, providing worthy empirical cases for translation study.Le Pere Goriot is one of the most widely acknowledged works of Balzac in China. Mr. Fu Lei firstly translated this novel in1944. The Fu Lei’s translation we see today was completed in1963after three editions. In August2012, the Beijing Yanshan Press issued the new translation of Le Pere Goriot which was translated by Mr. Xu Yuanchong. Professor Xu Yuanchong’s view on translation is unique in studies of translation theory. Besides, he has carried out his translation strategies and methods in practice. He further developed Fu Lei’s theory of’translation should be like painting’, believing that translation is not just to copy characters and scenery in the picture, but to copy real characters and scenery. Xu Yuanchong has a clear purpose of the retranslation of Le Pere Goriot:to modify some of the errors in the old translation, to perfect some of the expression and to try to get closer to the original in all aspects. It implies his willingness to go beyond Fu Lei and achieve his ideal of translation. By comparing Fu translation and Xu translation of Le Pere Goriot, we aim to reveal both similarities and differences between their understanding of translation, the methods they used and the purpose. We also want to find the characteristics of Xu translation by a further study of it.The main body of this thesis is divided into four parts:The introduction section gives a general introduction of the research background and makes a review of research status of Xu Yuanchong and his translation theory as well as the phenomenon of retranslation of literary works. Based on their translation of Le Pere Goriot, the article will compare the ideas and versions of Fu Lei and Xu Yuanchong by taking Berman’s translation critical thinking. The section also introduces the structure of this thesis and the main content of each chapter.The first chapter focuses on the comparison between Fu Lei’s and Xu Yuanchong’s concept of translation. First, the reasons are listed why Fu translated and Xu retranslated this novel respectively. Secondly, the two translators’thought are combed from three aspects:the understanding of translation, the method used in the translation process and the purpose of translation activities. In terms of epistemology, we will introduce both the similarities and differences of their attitudes towards translation activities and their understanding of translation value; in the methodology, we will highlight that Xu Yuanchong optimized the classification method to go beyond the previous works; from the perspective of teleology, we will stress the deepening and development on the purpose of the translation by Xu Yuanchong. Combining the examples of each translation, the author also verifies whether their translation practice accords with their theories.Taking Xu Yuanchong version of Le Pere Goriot as a foothold, the second chapter explores the Xu translation features from two aspects, language and style, by comparing to the original work. On one hand, we will excavate some of the significant features of Xu’s translation, such as the use of the four-word Chinese expressions. On the other hand, we will inspect the reproduction of the original style from the characterization and scene description. The conclusion points out that translation study is not intended to determine the pros and cons of different translation versions, but to explore the cause why they come into being. By combing Xu Yuanchong’s translation thought and means of examples quoted from his version, we find that his translation of Le Pere Goriot accords with his concept of translation and shows his features as well. Different translation versions of the same work do not purely compete with each other, but rather complement each other and promote each other. At the same time, different translations also meet the needs of different readers.