Research On The Translation And Its Cultural Comparison Of Li Sao

Essentially, Chinese literature is originated from two sources. One source is The Book Of Songs, which is the representative of northern literature of China, and the other is the masterpiece of southern literature of China, which is called The Songs Of Chu. In particular, the latter one has had significant impacts on Chinese literature, and this can be confirmed from the works of Li Bai and Guo Moruo. Due to the fact that The Songs Of Chu is critical to Chinese literature, the translation of this masterpiece has drawn world-wide attention after the 19th century and we can find more than ten versions of English translation so far.This paper is mainly based on three famous versions of translation of Li Sao, which is a typical part of The Songs Of Chu. Analytically, these three versions use different methods of translation, and they utilize free translation, literal translation and the combination of the two respectively. Basically, this paper discusses three different versions from the perspectives of national characters, ideology, and personal reasons.The first chapter is the introduction of Qu Yuan and different translation versions of Li Sao. It explains the relationship between translation, literature and culture. The further chapter focuses on national characters, and analyzes the reasons why translators from different countries translated in distinct ways. Ideology is another important element which affects the translation markedly and being discussed in the following chapter. The forth chapter is mainly about personal reasons and is associated with psychology.Generally speaking, translation is the exchange between languages. But from the perspective of literature, translation is subjective and it is the reflection of humans' emotions and creativity. Any kind of translation can be said as manipulation in the sphere of literature. Furthermore, the translation of poems can be regarded as communication between different cultures, which links closely with the environment as well as education of the translators.From what have been discussed above, we can draw the conclusion that when it comes to the translation of poems, literature or culture, it is difficult to transform them by language correctly and exactly. Therefore, translation is a kind of recreation.