Analysis Of Translation Behaviour Of John Minford In Strange Tales From A Chinese Studio From The Bourdieusian Perspective

As a representative work of Chinese classical fiction,Liao Zhai Zhi Yi,written by the novelist Pu Songling in Qing Dynasty,gained its popularity since its publication and was introduced to many other countries by means of translation.Its English version Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio,rendered by the British sinologist John Minford,is included in Penguin Classics published by the leading publishing house Penguin Group in Britain and circulated in the United States and Europe.The thesis induces the unique translation behaviour of John Minford and analyzes the influence behind his behaviour within the framework of capital,field and habitus on both microscopic and macroscopic level under the Bourdieu’s sociological theories.First the thesis summarizes John Minford’s distinctive translation behaviour in terms of text selection inclination,translation strategy and linguistic habit through a careful text analysis.Next in the struggles of three macro fields,namely economic,political and literature fields,John Minford’s position is tracked down and his translation behaviour influenced by his position is discussed.Then in view of the real living environment of John Minford,the thesis probes into how the publishing agency,the sponsors and the readers affect his translation through economic,social,cultural and symbolic capitals.At last,John Minford’s special translation behaviour is also a product of his habitus formed by his family and education,personal character and life and work experience.The final part of the thesis summarizes the findings of the research and its limitation and points out directions for future study.Meanwhile it might provide some inspiring suggestions for Chinese literature going global.