A Study On The C-E Translation Of Culture-loaded Words From The Perspective Of Reception Aesthetics

Since the 21^st century,the“Going Global”strategy of Chinese culture has been a critical initiative to enhance China’s cultural soft power and international discourse right.Translating Chinese literary works into foreign languages has gained increasing attention as the strategy deepens and expands.Rickshaw Boy,a work by the well-known Chinese writer Lao She,has been translated into over 20 languages and circulated worldwide,serving as a model for spreading Chinese culture.It is surprising that renowned sinologist Howard Goldblatt retranslated this literary masterpiece in 2010,making its translation Rickshaw Boy a best-seller in the international market among the translations of contemporary Chinese works.Both Chinese and Western readers adore the novel’s undulating plot and distinctive Beijing dialect.Besides,the culture-loaded words in the novel vividly depict the unique characteristics of Chinese culture.Thanks to their unique cultural meanings,the translation of Chinese culture-loaded words has become a challenging issue in literary translation.The correct transfer of Chinese cultural connotation depends on the way in which Chinese culture-loaded words are translated.Therefore,exploring the translation of Chinese culture-loaded words,as an integral part of implementing the“Going Global”strategy of Chinese culture,boasts both academic and practical significance.According to the literature review,scholars have proposed several strategies and methods for effective translation of culture-loaded words into English,but their attention is primarily directed to the translator and the work,not the reader.In light of this,this thesis examines the translation of culture-loaded words in Rickshaw Boy,Goldblatt’s translated version,from the perspective of reception aesthetics.It aims to explore how target language readers influence the translation of culture-loaded words,and how translators translate culture-loaded words.Through the case study,the thesis draws tentative conclusions:Firstly,the translators can employ two methods of catering to and broadening the readers’horizons of expectation for the“fusion of horizons”when translating Chinese culture-loaded words.Secondly,in order to realize the importance of the target language readers,the translators can concretize the response-inviting structure of the text by translating the connotative meaning of the Chinese culture-loaded words for the purpose of recognizing the importance of the target readers.Furthermore,the translators can create a space for the source text’s evocation by leaving blanks in culture-loaded words or even creatively constructing blanks to enable readers’subjective initiative.Thirdly,the translators should adhere to the reader-centered principle to choose the correct methods and prioritize reader’s reception in order to pique readers’interest.To conclude,this thesis suggests that translators should adhere to the reader-centered principle to choose the correct methods,consider readers’horizon of expectation,and reconstruct the response-inviting structure to mobilize the readers’subjective motivation.Such translation awareness allows readers to experience distinct Chinese culture,and realize the meaning of translating Chinese literary works into foreign languages.