A Contrastive Study Of Two English Versions Of Luotuo Xiangzi: A Perspective Of Skopos Theory

The Skopos theory in translation was first put forward by Hans J. Vermeer in hismonograph of A Framework for a General Theory of Translation in1978. Basic rulesare elaborated in his work. Vermeer points out that translation is a purposefulintercultural activity from the perspective of Skopos theory. The whole translationprocess and the choice of translation methods and strategies are determined by thetranslation purpose. Skopos theory makes a breakthrough in the limitations of“equivalence”,which dominates in our translation circle for a long time and servesas an important complement to translation theories. Skopos theory provides a newresearch perspective for the study of translation theory and practice.Vermeer holds the opinion that the first rule all translators have to abide by is theSkopos rule. Translation action is determined by the translation purpose, that is to say,“the end justifies the means”. Besides, he also focuses on the coherence rule andfidelity rule. The coherence rule emphasizes that translation must be coherent, readableand acceptable for target readers. The fidelity rule emphasizes inter-textual coherencebetween source text and target text, that is to say, translation should be faithful to thesource text. Translation purpose determines the extent of faithfulness between targettext and source text. Translation should be functioned according to the receiver’sexpectation in the target culture context.Lao She, considered as “people’s artist”, is one of the great figures in Chinesemodern literature of the20th century. His great novel, Luotuo Xiangzi has beentranslated into many languages, including English, French, Japanese, German, Spanishand so forth. With the setting of Beijing residents in the1930s, this novel describes theterrible and tragic life of a rickshaw man named Xiangzi, thus reflecting the darknessof old China. Meanwhile, the author condemns the cruel exploitation and oppression ofthe old society and expresses his sympathy towards the laboring people. This novel isregarded as a successful one and takes a significant place in Chinese modern literature.The thesis chooses two typical English versions of Luotuo Xiangzi, one is Shi Xiaojing’s Camel Xiangzi, the other is Howard Goldblatt’s Rickshaw Boy. The authorwill choose some typical examples of the two English versions for contrastive analysisbased on Skopos theory, providing a new perspective for translation studies of LuotuoXiangzi, thus testifying Skopos theory can function as a guideline for fictiontranslation.The methods adopted in this thesis are the following kinds. First, qualitativeanalysis and quantitative analysis are used throughout the whole thesis, and thecomputer software AntConc3.2.1and ICTCLAS will be used to analyze the lexicalitems, which will make the research more convincing. Second, the method ofcontrastive analysis will be applied in the body part. Owing to different eras of the twoEnglish versions and different living environments and cultural backgrounds as well asrespective translation purposes behind these two translators, all these factors makecontrastive analysis feasible and meaningful.The thesis consists of six parts:The Introduction includes research background, research methods and thestructure of this thesis.Chapter One presents a literary review of English translations of Luotuo Xiangzi.Chapter Two demonstrates the theoretical framework of this thesis. The formationand development of Skopos theory, the three basic rules and influence of Skopostheory on translation studies are included in this part.Chapter Three expounds Luotuo Xiangzi and its two English versions. Thelifetimes of Lao She and two translators, the background of each English version aswell as their translation purpose are also introduced.Chapter Four is the main body of this thesis. A contrastive analysis of two Englishversions of Luotuo Xiangzi will be done based on the three rules of Skopos theory:Skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule. The Skopos rule chooses words related toculture in ecology, material, society, linguistics and religion. The coherence rulefocuses on addition and conversion in translation. The fidelity rule pays attention to thefaithfulness in diction, plot and register. In the conclusion, the author holds the opinion that Skopos theory cantheoretically guide such aspects: description of the translation process, discussion ofthe translation standard, and the choice of translation method. Both English versionsattain better translation effect. Shi Xiaojing offers target readers a concise translationand her translation purpose has been fulfilled. Although deletion of some parts of thenovel exists in her translation, her translation is still worthy of being paid attention to.Howard Goldblatt skillfully adopts the strategy of foreignization. He not only focuseson the target readers’ expectation, but also emphasizes their understanding andacceptance. He has also successfully fulfilled his Skopos in providing readers with acomplete, faithful and readable translation. Compared with Shi Xiaojing’s version, histranslation is more vivid and interesting and easier for target readers’ understandingand acceptance.