A Study On The Translation Methods Of Culture-loaded Words In A Small Town Called Hibiscus From The Perspective Of Cultural Schema Theory

Fu Rong Zhen is the representative work of Gu Hua,a famous Chinese contemporary writer.As the winner of the first Mao Dun Literature Prize,Gu Hua painted a true picture of contemporary rural social life with his unique writing style.The extensive use of culture-loaded words in the novel is the guarantee that this vivid rural picture can be displayed to readers.Interpreting culture-loaded words is never an easy thing.The English version of Fu Rong Zhen translated by famous translator Gladys Yang in 1983,was published with the name of A Small Town Called Hibiscus in the same year by Panda Series of the Chinese Literature Magazine Press and received a good response overseas.And the translation of culture-loaded words in A Small Town Called Hibiscus is recognized by foreign readers,which is worth of discussing and taking as a reference.From the perspective of cultural schema theory and Nida’s classification of culture,this paper divides culture-loaded words in the novel into five categories: ecological,social,material,religious and linguistic culture-loaded words.From three possible situations of cultural schemata in translation,namely,cultural schemata correspondence,cultural schemata conflict and cultural schemata default,this paper discusses the translation methods used by translators in translation of culture-loaded words.In cases of cultural schemata correspondence,the translator applied the translation methods of literal translation,paraphrase and idiomatic translation.In cases of cultural schemata conflict,the translation methods of variation and paraphrase;when it comes to cultural schemata conflict,the author applied the translation methods of literal translation,paraphrase,transliteration and annotation,which enable the existing cultural schemata of the readers obtained in their own culture to be activated or adjusted,and even create new schemata for them.The cultural information provided in the creation of these new schemata are always able to activate some schemata of the translators and make the new schemata play a role.Therefore,with the help of cultural schema theory,translators should adopt a translation method that can activate the original reader’s cultural schemata or make its cultural schemata reasonably adjusted,and create new schemata for them when it’s necessary.On the analysis of Gladys Yang’s translation on culture-loaded words in A Small Town Called Hibiscus,it could conclude that Gladys Yang has a good understanding towards the cultural schemata in both original and targeted language culture,which suggests that the translator should constantly enrich his or her own cultural schemata in order to easy their decision on the choice of application of translation methods and conduct a better translation.