"Blankness" And It’s Translation

Through the theoretical lens of the Reception Aesthetics Theory and via the research method of textual analysis,the present paper explores the three aspects of the blankness in the textual framework of Wang Zengqi’s novels of The Special Gift(2005:80-92)and The Death of Swan(1998:387-393),the main methods of "blank" characterization in the two novels and,as a result,the translation methods of the "blank" phenomena in the literary works of the same author.To this end,three research questions(RQ)have been raised.RQ1:What are the main types of blankness in the structure of Wang’s novels?RQ2:What are the main methods of "blank"characterization in Wang’s novels?RQ3:How should we translate the "blank" phenomena in Wang’s novels under the guidance of the Reception Aesthetics Theory?As the answer to RQ1,three types of blankness have been found in the textual framework of the two novels,namely:1)the "blankness" used at the beginning of Wang’s novel to create the beauty of artistic conception;2)the "blankness" used in the middle of the novel,which helped the development of plot;and 3)the "blankness" used at the end of the novel to provoke readers for profound reflections.As the answer to RQ2,it is found that three methods of "blank" characterization have been adopted in Wang’s works,i.e.:1)the blankness used in personal names;2)the blankness used in the appearance description;and 3)the blankness used to create artistic conception.Finally,as the answer to RQ3,such translation methods as direct preservation,re-construction,appreciation adjustment,and annotation have been proposed to deal with the "blankness" in the translation of novels.The theoretical and practical implications of the research findings lie in two aspects.Theoretically,the Reception Aesthetics Theory plays an important role in guiding the translation of the "blank" phenomenon in the following three aspects:the status of readers,the horizon of expectation and response-inviting structure.The translator should start from the reader’s point of view and produce a translation that can make the Target Language Text readers and Source Language Text readers enjoy the same feelings of reading,but without losing the original meaning.Practically,this paper helps the readers have a deep understanding of literary works of Wang Zengqi,especially the "blankness" used in his works,which calls for four methods of blankness translation by taking the art of painting as the entry to appreciate the blankness in Wang’s novel.Thus,we can also make use of the common characteristics of various arts and methods applied in the paper for better understanding and more appreciation of other genres.