Literal Or Free Translation?Rendering Biography From The Perspective Of Adaptation Theory

Biography is characterized by both historicity and literariness,which requires accurately rendering information and aesthetic effects in translation.Declaring His Genius:Oscar Wilde in Noth America introduces Wilde's eleven-month lecturing tour in North America.This thesis,from the perspective of Adaptation Theory,explores the application of literal translation and free translation by conducting a case study on the work.In the first phase of translation,aesthetic effects were put in the first place.However,due to overuse of free translation,there is often a tendency towards excessive division and combination of sentences,adjustment of sentence orders,and addition and deletion of words.To solve the problem,the author shifted to rational application of literal translation and free translation.This thesis reviews the existing research on biography translation and Adaptation Theory.While the theory has been widely adopted in translation circle in China,it has seldom been applied to the study of the translation of biographical texts;studies about biographical translation rarely discuss specific translation strategies,but rather address broad topics such as the role of translators and how to conduct biographical translation well.This thesis recommends that a combination of literal translation and free translation be adopted in biographical translation.Literal translation and free translation should be used to best adapt to the ingredients of context involved.First,to suit the original channel of communication(that is,the linguistic context),literal translation is preferred in rendering quotation.Second,to adapt to the mental world of the target readers,implicit meanings or information may be amplified through free translation.Third,for the same reason,changed concepts like geographical location may not be rendered literally,and instead,free translation is a preference.Fourth,to adapt to the physical world,free translation may be recommended in rendering the content affected by time and space,as well as physiology and appearance of figures;Finally,literal translation may be suitable for rendering special addresses and comments to adapt to the social relation,position and occasion.