A Report On The Translation Of The Four Wind(Excerpts)

This report is based on the writer’s translation of The Four Winds,the latest book by Kristin Hannah,one of the most sought-after American authors.The novel depicts the story during the Great Depression in the United States where farmers from Texas dogged by the ravages of drought fighting in despair against nature.The fragile and confused heroine in the novel,abandoned by her husband,eventually leaves her beloved land and joins the westward migration,during which she grows stronger and explores herself in the midst of suffering.By translating the book,the writer hopes to inspire readers with the courage and resilience of the protagonist.Besides,the writer intends to do her part in promoting the cultural exchanges between China and the West and enriching literary translation.According to Newmark’s text typology,fictions are classified as expressive texts,which are usually translated based on the theory of semantic translation.Considering the equal significance of form and content,the writer combines semantic translation with communicative translation in translating the novel,trying to strike a balance between the writer and the targeted readers.Translation strategies such as domestication and foreignization paired with translation methods like literal translation,free translation,amplification,simplification,and extension are adopted to accurately convey the information of original text and reproduce the original style.This report makes it clear that translators should not only have excellent bilingual skills,but also the ability to reproduce cultural backgrounds and thinking modes on the basis of sticking to the style and writing methods of the original work.In addition,translators should be good at combining theory with practice,fully consider the characteristics and needs of target readers,and draw on their own translation experience to constantly improve their translation ability.