The Study On The Translation And Introduction Of Thai Literary Works In China (1958-2016)

Sino-Thai literature exchange has been developed for nearly two hundred years.It was started in the Bangkok Dynasty when the king Rama?issued a decree translating Chinese classical novel “Three Kingdoms” into Thai language.For more than two hundred years thereafter,Chinese and Thai literature have experienced a frequent exchange.However,confined to its unbalanced development and unequal demand between the two parties,in most cases this exchange has been a one-way output from China to Thailand.It was not until 1958 that the Chinese translation of Thai literature began with the collective translation of “Selected Modern Short Story of Thailand” done by teachers and students majoring in Thai at Peking University.During more than half a century since then,the translation of Thai literature in China has grown out of nothing and experienced a gorgeous transformation from being less to more,coarse to refined.Up until now,there are 236 translated Thai literary works in China covering genres such as novels,poetry,prose,folk tales,children's literature,graphic literature,documentary literature and Buddhist literature with themes including love,ethics,urban and rural life,progressiveness,magic,motivational strivings,Buddhism,etc.Although the translation of Thai literature in China is thriving,the research on this issue is very scarce.Due to this reason,this paper will attempt to offer an panoramic view of Thai literature translation in China from the perspective of comparative literature and literary sociology within five chapters.The first chapter introduces the origin,meaning,research design of this thesis,as well as the previous studies;the second chapter discusses the means and genres of translation studies;the third chapter relates to the research background of the translation of Thai literature in China,and introduces two schools of Chinese translators;the fourth chapter represents three main publication means of Thai literature in China,and compares the source texts with the target texts at macro level with comparative approach.The fifth chapter explores the reception of Thai literature in China,through the analysis of “On the Position and Role of Foreign Literature in the Construction of Socialist Spiritual Civilization in China: A Comprehensive Research Report on National Conditions by the Institute of Foreign Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences” while taking the specific situation of Thai literature readers into consideration.