A Comparative Study On The Manipulation And Adaptation Of The Two English Versions Of Zhao Shi Gu Er

Zhao Shi Gu Er(the Orphan of Zhao)is one of the most known and influential representatives of Yuan-zaju.Its translation has been deemed as the real beginning of the western transmission of Chinese drama,and this play truly leaves an imprint on the western culture.Thereby,numerous studies and works centering on its origins,rewritings,transmissions and other aspects have been made and published for this play’s significant position.However,until now,only a few researches have focused on its English translation versions,which is quite incompatible with the important role it played in the history of literature.The “cultural turn” in the 1980 s made the translation scholars in the West place the translation study under the dimension of culture.André Lefevere is one of the typical and important representatives of this cultural translation school.He proposes the manipulation theory,regards translation as manipulation and rewriting,and puts emphasis on the influence the three elements,ideology,poetics and patronage exert on translation.His theory is of great importance and brings a new perspective to the study of translation.Comparing the two English versions of Zhao Shi Gu Er based on the manipulation theory can not only testify the practical value of this theory,but also offers some guidance for the dissemination of traditional Chinese drama in different era.On the basis of Lefevere’s manipulation theory,this thesis makes a comparative study of Thomas Percy’s and Liu Jung-en’s English versions of Zhao Shi Gu Er,and intends to explore the main forces that influence the two English translations of this traditional Chinese drama.This thesis briefly reviews Lefevere’s manipulation theory,analyzes two translators’ respective social and cultural environments,and compares the two English versions of Zhao Shi Gu Er from the perspective of ideology,poetics and patronage.This comparative study discovers that different periods of history have different dominant ideologies and poetics which combine with patronages influence thetranslators’ translation strategies,choice of words and language and the publication of their translations,etc.This is distinctly manifested in these two English versions.On account of different ideologies,two translators adopt different translation methods in terms of annotations and culture-loaded words.Meanwhile,due to the differences of the dominant poetics,the language style and textual expression in the two versions are also distinct from each other.Besides,European drama literature practice convention,which has long deeply rooted in the western literature world,leaves manipulative impacts on the two English versions as well.Last but not least,patronage also has an undeniable effect on the publication of the translation works.