On The Translation Of The Purple Hairpins From The Perspective Of Susan Bassnett’s Cultural Translation Theory

Classic Chinese drama represents the splendid traditional Chinese culture.In the process of international communication of Chinese culture,the English translation of classic Chinese drama has been playing an important role.Zi Chai Ji,a drama created by the famous Ming dynasty dramatist Tang Xianzu has everlasting vitality and unique charm.Its English translation of The Purple Hairpins,which is produced by Wang Rongpei,is the only English version at present,and it is included in Chinese national publishing project Library of Chinese Classics.Wang’s translation has a good intercultural communication effect.Therefore,the research on The Purple Hairpins is of great significance.According to Susan Bassnett’s cultural translation theory,translation is not only conversion of languages but also transmission of cultures.In translation process,the translator should keep in mind the cultural differences between the source language and the target language.In order to achieve the goal of functional equivalent translation within the cultural context of the target language,which makes translation perform the same functions in target language as the original functions in the source language,the translator should be able to flexibly use translation methods and techniques to complete the mission of cultural transmission.From the perspective of Susan Bassnett’s cultural translation theory,the research studies Wang Rongpei’s version of The Purple Hairpins in three aspects:cultural awareness of the translator,analysis of critical cultural information and translation methods and techniques.Firstly,the translator must have strong cultural awareness.Based on his knowledge of Chinese and English cultures as well as inter-culture awareness,Wang Rongpei produces a large amount of brilliant translation works and proposes the translation standard of conveying the genuine spirit with artistic touches.Secondly,literary translation should achieve the goal of functional equivalence within the cultural context of the target language and successfully transmit culture in decoding and recoding process.This research studies the translation of colour terms,folklore and allusions in The Purple Hairpins,all of which have distinctive Chinese cultural characteristics and contain rich historical and cultural information.For the translation of these cultural elements,the translator takes into account the cultural context of the source language and makes efforts to convey cultural connotations by preserving the invariant core of cultural information and making proper substitutions in the translated text.Lastly,in translation process,the translator uses a variety of translation methods and techniques in a flexible way,including literal translation,liberal translation,amplification,omission,transliteration and adaptation,which is conducive to accurate rendering of cultural information in the original,thus facilitating the reader’s understanding and cultural dissemination.This research analyses the translation of The Purple Hairpins from the perspective of Susan Bassnett’s cultural translation theory and aims at studying Wang Rongpei’s cultural translation strategies in The Purple Hairpins.