| This corpus-based study aims to identify the translator’s styles of two English translations of Li Bai’s poems by Xu Yuanchong and David Hinton.This study quantitatively investigates the translator’s style from two levels: lexical level and syntactic level.In the first place,comparative data obtained from the self-built corpus are to determine to what extent each translator’s behaviour conforms with,or differs from,that of the other translator.Then patterns are counted and illustrated with instances.To this effect,the function of each instance in its context is considered and the overall effect of the stylistic preferences concerning the underlying functions of language are assessed.Finally,the results are interpreted in the light of information about the translators and the context of translation.Preliminary analyses of the macro-linguistic features show that two translators are consistent in lexical diversity though standardized type/token ratios of Xu’s translation are relatively lower than those of Hinton.There is a discrepancy between two translators in terms of lexical density and mean word length.These data are relatively lower compared with those of Hinton.These patterns are consistent across Xu’s translations.The qualitative analysis indicates the Xu makes more use of the first person pronoun “I” than Hinton does.The first personal pronoun and the present tense turn poems into the character’s voice,which may shorten the distance between the target language readers and the characters.Xu is inclined to simplify his translations in terms of culture-load words.He favors liberal translation,while Hinton upholds literal translation and notes.Xu’s peculiar use of comma and extensive use of semicolons are consistent across his translations which has to do with his intention to reproduce speech rhythms and beauty in forms.In contrast,Hinton’s relatively less frequent use of “I” is to reproduce the ambiguity of the source texts and enhance universality.Hinton uses absolute phrases in his translation to encompass more information in each sentence.The use of dash and colon is an alternative way to pointout the logic between lines.Further analysis shows that the translator’s educational background and personal preferences affect the translator’s selection of the genre and topic of source text.As a core translator of literary translation,Xu translates works by a larger variety of authors than Hinton;Xu gives priority to fluent reading experience translation which directly affects his translation of culture-loaded words.He prefers liberal translation to render proper nouns,reducing information load of his translations.As a result,his translations are easier to read;Xu’s translation thought guides his literary translation practice and influences his translations in terms of meaning,form,and rhyme.Xu is used to adding bilingual prefaces and footnotes to his translated works.On the one hand,it reflects his rigorous attitude as a translator and scholar.On the other hand,it helps to enhance the reader’s understanding of the original poems.The discussion about translation theories and practice in metatext reveals Xu’s translation motivations,strategies,and methods,which is conducive to readers’ acceptance of the translation.As a tentative conclusion,translator’s educational background,cultural awareness,and translation thought might be factors that influence the translator’s style. |
