On Howard Goldblatt’s Translation Of Culture-loaded Terms From The Perspective Of Translator Behavior Criticism

As a significant contributor to Chinese contemporary literature going global,Howard Goldblatt builds a bridge for literary and cultural exchanges between China and English-speaking countries.The reasons for his success in introducing Chinese literature to the English world are indeed well worth exploring.It is easy to notice that culture-loaded terms abound in Bi Feiyu’s novel The Moon Opera.So naturally,the success of the English version in the overseas market has a great bearing on the translation of these culture-loaded terms.However,there is still a lack of systematic research on the interaction between Goldblatt’s translator behavior and the production of the translation.Moreover,studies on the translation of the culture-loaded terms in the novelette have not been fully carried out,especially from the perspective of Translator Behavior Criticism.In addition,further improvement should be made in the research methodology of culture-loaded terms and the operability of the “Truthseeking-Utility-attaining” Evaluative Model of Continuum in both qualitative and quantitative research.Based on Nida’s classification of culture and the condition of the culture-loaded terms in the book,the research divides culture-loaded terms into four categories including material culture-loaded terms,social culture-loaded terms,religious cultureloaded terms,and linguistic culture-loaded terms.From the perspective of Translator Behavior Criticism,and based on the rating scale built on the “Truth-seeking-Utilityattaining” Evaluative Model of Continuum,the dissertation explores in the self-built corpus Goldblatt’s translation methods,his translator behavioral tendency,its rationality,and the intra-and extra-linguistic factors influencing his behavior.By doing so,the research aims to provide a more objective,comprehensive description of the interaction between the role of the translator and the generation of the translation.The major findings are as follows:(1)Six methods are adopted by Goldblatt including free translation(65.19%),literal translation(23%),omission(4.9%),literal translation plus annotation(2.76%),transliteration plus annotation(2.76%),and transliteration(1.1%).According to the statistics,free translation is the most frequently adopted method.One of the reasons is that linguistic culture-loaded terms represented by four-character idioms top the number of culture-loaded terms in the book.It is due to this objective cause that the translator,in many cases,has to sacrifice part or all of the linguistic form and cultural connotation to pursue utility-attaining.In fact,it can be observed that the translator makes great efforts in truth-seeking.On the whole,Goldblatt’s translator behavior features utility-attaining based on truth-seeking.(2)The average degree of rationality of Goldblatt’s translator behavior reaches a relatively high degree of 3.41,indicating that his translator’s behavior tends to be rational and reasonable.(3)The factors influencing his translator behavior are composed of both intra-and extra-translation factors.The former mainly includes Text Type,Linguistic Form,and Cultural Connotation,while the latter comprises Reader,Author,and Patron.Through multi-dimensional research,the dissertation concludes:(1)Translation is a cross-language and cross-culture social activity.Therefore,translation products are the result of various factors and parties,including the translator,author,text,sponsor,cultural context,mainstream poetics,etc.Only by going beyond static text criticism and examining both intra-and extra-translation factors in a dynamic and comprehensive manner,can we take an objective and scientific approach to evaluating the whole translation process including translation method,translator behavior,translation quality,translation effect,etc.(2)The translation of culture-loaded words should focus on preserving the foreignness of the Chinese language and culture as much as possible,with free translation and annotation as auxiliary means.Rigid translation with disregard for the translation effect should be avoided,for it could result in futile translation activity.Goldblatt fully coordinates various factors,displaying a “dynamic faithfulness”that is different from the traditional understanding of faithfulness.His translator behavior,therefore,conforms to the general law of “truth-seeking being the base with utility-attaining as the aim” and achieves a comparatively high degree of rationality,which sheds light on the great success that his translation has achieved in the overseas market.Based on Translator Behavior Criticism and with The Moon Opera as the research object,the research explores Golblatt’s translator behavior and could make the following contributions.In terms of translation studies,(1)the research advances the translation studies of The Moon Opera and makes up for the gaps in the previous research;(2)The research helps promote the studies of Translator Behavior Criticism and the improvement of its theoretical tools;(3)The study reveals a general picture of Goldblatt’s translator behavior in the translation of the culture-loaded terms in The Moon Opera and promotes translator studies.In terms of translation practice,the research contributes to a better understanding of literary and cultural translation and serves as an inspiration for future translation studies and practice of Chinese literature and culture.