A Study On The English Versions Of Tibetan Gnomic Verses In Light Of The Skopos Theory

Tibetan gnomic verses is a unique literature form of the Chinese Minority People —Tibetan people, carrying both the factors and characteristics of verse and maxim. In the form,it is a ballad with four lines composing an episode in which two lines are metaphors and the other two are truth. In content, it expresses the religion ideas, moral codes and cultivating methods via nature phenomena, fork tales and proverbs aiming to help those people who are confused in life. From its initial budding to developing into a mature literature form, Tibetan gnomic verses undergone a long period of history which can be dated back to the Tang Dynasty. This literature form covers the philosophy of the Tibetan society, ethics, social customs, religious consciousness, historical background, administrative programs, socializing manners, culture and traditions, etc. It is the Tibetan society in miniature and one of the treasures of Tibetan culture and Chinese culture.Great value in Tibetan literature, Tibetan culture and living philosophy can be found in those well-known gnomic verses and those famous ones were composed during between the12 th and 16 th century by the outstanding Tibetan Buddhist leaders and scholars : Sapan Kunga Gyalten(1182-1251) or called Sakya Pandita, Sonam Drakpa(1478 or 1481-1554 or 1556)and Gungthang Tenpe Dronme(1717-1786). Sakya Gnomic Verses, Dgeldan Gnomic Verses,Gnomic Verses about Water, and Gnomic Verses about Tree are the representative works respectively among the Tibetan gnomic verses. Translating those Minority People’s classics into English is one very important way to deliver the Chinese literature and culture to the whole world and it is also a culture diplomatic measure while facing to the Tibetan current issues.Yet at present there are a few English translation versions of Tibetan gnomic verses, it is not enough and difficult to spread this unique literature to the whole world. There are altogether four popular English translation versions of the Tibetan gnomic verses: a Hungarian Alexander Csmos. de Korosi’s version published in 1850 s, a Tibetan AmericanTarthang Tulku’s published in 1970 s, an American John Thomas Davenport’s published in 2000, and Chinese scholar Li Zhengshuan’s version published in 2013. This thesis will analyze all these versions in light of the Functionalist Skopos Theory to show that different translation skopos will lead to different translation strategies and skills which are the reasons why different translation versions came into being, although the source language verse are all the same.The whole thesis studies the above academic problems in three parts: Part One mainly expounds the skopos of different authors translating the Tibetan gnomic verses into English respectively including inter-culture communication, literature exchange, language promotion and ideology concerns. Part Two is on the factors deciding the skopos of translating including the intended function of the translation, the expected readers of the English translation of Tibetan gnomic verses and the translators themselves according to the Skopos theory. Then quantities of examples from all the English translation versions of Tibetan gnomic verses and the corresponding detailed analysis will be given out to illustrate that different skopos will lead to the translators’ different translating strategies and skills. Then in Part Three translation strategies including domesticating translation and foreignizing translation, literal translation and free translation and translation skills: generalization and variation will be discussed with many verse examples from all the translation versions of Tibetan gnomic verses.