A Study On Translation Strategies In Three Sisters From The Perspective Of Functionalist Theory

Yumi,written by Bi Feiyu,is a novel full of Chinese cultural characteristics.It won the third Luxun Literary Prize.Its English version Three Sisters translated by the celebrated translator Howard Goldblatt was awarded the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2010.Bi Feiyu became the third Chinese writer after Jiang Rong and Su Tong to win the international prize.Both the original and English version of the novel turned out to be great success,owing a lot to its excellent translation.Therefore,a study on translation strategies of Three Sisters from the perspective of functionalist theory is of great significance.Functionalist theory came into being in 1970 s in Germany,and then it developed quickly into new translation theory.Itkept reasonable parts of traditional theory and broadened the research field of translation theory.Functionalist theory considers translation as a kind of cross-cultural communication.In translation action,translator is in the central place.Translation purpose determines translation action and has a direct influence on which translation strategies to choose.Therefore,translatorsshould choose different translation strategies according to different purposes.Previous studies on Howard's translating modern and contemporary Chinese literature focus on his deletion and alteration of the original text.However,when the Goldblatts translate Yumi,they hardlydelete or rewritethe source language.On the one hand,they adopt foreignization as the main translation strategyin order to maintain language featuring Chinese culture and propagate unique Chinese culture.On the other hand,they adopt domestication as the auxiliary strategy,allowing for the readability of the novel and the reception of target readers.In conclusion,it is suggested that translators should adopt foreignization strategyreasonably in literary translation so as to increase competitiveness of Chinese culture,and they should settle for domestication when it is difficult to foreignize the source language.The two strategies should be combined together to complement each other.The thesis will prove the argumentunder the guidance of functionalist theory.The thesis consists of five chapters.Chapter One isa brief introduction to the novel,the writer and the translator.Chapter Twoincludes two parts: previous studies on the author,author's works,and translators;and previous studies on functionalist theory.Chapter Threeanalyzes translation strategies applied in Three Sisters from the perspective of functionalist theory.First,the Goldblatts mainly adopt the translation strategy of foreignization in the following four aspects:idioms,political terms,metaphor and address forms.Second,in view of the receptivity of target readers,translators employ strategy of domestication as well in some idioms and particular dialects which are difficult to be foreignized.Chapter four concludesthe application of foreignization and domestication in literary translation,and their gains and losses in the translation process.Chapter Five summarizes the main findings and limitations.The thesis is expected to provide some useful suggestions for modern and contemporary Chinese literary translation through the detailed analysis of translation strategies in Three Sisters,aiming to accelerate the space of Chinese culture to go out.