A Study Of English Translation Of Allusions In Xi Jinping: The Governance Of China From The Perspective Of Adaptation Theory

In recent years,with the continuous development of China’s comprehensive national strength,the influence of China in the world is also growing.As the largest developing country in the world,China has gradually stepped onto the political stage,which has undoubtedly attracted wide attention of the international community.The world’s curiosity about China has shifted from a focus on culture and history to an interest in China’s current policies and development.As an ancient and mysterious civilized country,the use of allusions is one of the unique forms of expression in Chinese language.Allusion is well known for the characteristics of implication,story-telling,educational significance and rich cultural connotation.The correct and proper application of allusions is of great significance for promoting the international exchange of Chinese culture.In the political publicity texts,the translation of allusions is directly related to the cultural exchange of China,and then affects the image of China in the international community.Under the guidance of the Adaptation Theory,this thesis intends to study the adaptation and influencing factors of allusion translation in Xi Jinping: The Governance of China(Volume I & II)from the following four perspectives: contextual correlates of adaptability,structural objects of adaptability,dynamics of adaptability and salience of adaptability with the combination of qualitative analysis and case study.The author attempts to reveal the explanatory power of adaptation theory in allusions translation and its practical guiding significance in future translation activities.Through the research,it is found that: from the perspective of contextual adaptation,in order to adapt to the cognitive factors of the mental world,the words chosen by the translators need to make up for the lack of foreign readers’ cognition.The translators can abandon external forms in the source language but make some interpretation and explanation,so as to ensure that the target language readers can get similar mental reactions with the source language readers.When adapting to the emotional factors of the mental world,the translator can transfer the emotion of the original author by choosing appropriate words and expressions,such as the words with strong emotion.When adapting to the cultural context of the social world,if there is a corresponding expression in English language,it can be directly transformed.However,in the absence of a corresponding expression,the translators should be as close to the target readers’ social norms and etiquette as possible.When adapting to the physical world,the translators should pay attention to the huge differences in geographical features and the diachrony of allusions between Chinese and foreign countries.Therefore,in the process of allusion translation,the translators should separate themselves from the indications of allusion in time and space.From the perspective of structural adaptation,when adapting to the lexical level,the translators should not only understand the original meaning of the allusions,but also explore their connotations,and choose the proper words that can express the implied meaning in the source language allusions.When adapting to the syntactical level,the translators should reorganize the sentences with allusions reasonably,and choose the sentence patterns that are consistent with the language style of the target language readers to express the meaning of the source language.In order to achieve the dynamic adaptation in the process of allusion translation,the translators need to take the above factors into account and also the flexibility and variability of the language into consideration.As for the salience of adaptation process,the translators should consciously choose the appropriate expression based on the understanding of the language expression styles of the author and the target readers,so as to make the translated version smooth and appropriate,which can easily reproduce the real intention of the original texts.Therefore,the reason why the original and the translated versions of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China(Volume I & II)are widely welcomed by western readers is the result of reasonable adaptation by the translators.