An Intertextual Approach To The Translation Of Architectural Texts

As one of the world's three biggest architectural systems,Chinese architecture is a cultural name card in the communication between Chinese civilization and the universal civilization.Texts introducing Chinese architecture,i.e.,architectural texts,are featured by the abundance of terms and culture-loaded words,the expressiveness of figurative language and considerable illustrations.Therefore,architectural texts have special linguistic and artistic features,endowed with the characteristics of scientific texts,literary texts and artistic texts at the same time.It is of great importance to learn the characteristics of architectural texts in translation of those texts.Intertextuality originates from literary criticism and has been applied extensively in various research areas including literature studies,cultural studies,translation studies and sociological research.It not only discusses the relationships between texts but touches upon the relationships between words and illustrations,emphasizing the interrelations between a given text and other texts.In translation—the interlingual and cross-cultural activity,the successful transfer of intertextuality in the source text contributes to the promotion of the source culture to a deeper extent.Characterized by culture-loaded words,quotations of poetry,and the echo between words and illustrations,architectural texts have pocketed rich intertextual information and profound connotations of Chinese culture.Hence,the theories of intertextuality are consistent with the features of architectural texts;its application on translation studies of architectural texts is valuable.Hence,based on the systematical analysis of the theories of intertextuality,the thesis takes Fujian Tulou written by Huang Hanmin and translated by Yang Yan as a case and explores the value of the successful transfer of intertextuality by translation in the dissemination of architectural culture.Fujian tulou has been inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List in 2008 and the book is the most comprehensive and the most exhaustive one on Fujian tulou by far.The thesis is comprised of six chapters.Chapter One introduces the research background,the objective and significance,and the layout of the thesis.Chapter Two discusses the research status of the translation of architectural texts,and then a systemic demonstration is displayed on the profile of theories of intertextuality and the status quo of intertextuality in translation studies.Chapter Three is the theoretical framework of the thesis which firstly defines architectural texts and divides intertextuality in architectural texts into explicit intertextuality and implicit intertextuality.Meanwhile,it explores the translation of architectural text from the perspective of intertextuality,including the relationship between intertextuality and translation,the role of the translator,and the source-culture-oriented translation principle.Chapter Four and Chapter Five are the core of the thesis.In Chapter Four,the transfer of explicit intertextuality in Fujian Tulou is analyzed from two aspects: couplets and different forms of quotations.It is found that though explicit intertextuality is obviously signaled by the use of quotation marks or in-text citations,the intertextual system behind it demands the translator's active exploration and flexibility in the use of multiple translation techniques to either transfer the intertextuality of the source text or make up for the lost intertextuality in the target text.Chapter Five approaches the transfer of implicit intertextuality in the book from lexical and graphic intertextuality.It ascertains that implicit intertextuality,without visible signs,has increased the challenge for the translator.The translator is required to initiate his/her subjectivity to proactively discover implicit intertextuality and fully understand the source text.Apart from the avoidance of misreading and mistranslation,the successful transmission of the hidden information in the source text needs more attention to manifest and disseminate Chinese culture as much as possible.The last chapter summarizes the thesis and makes a briefing for the insufficiency of this thesis and the further study.