| As the first chronological history book in China,Zuo Zhuan records important figures and events of various countries in the aspects of politics,economy,military,etc.from 722 BC to 468 BC.It is a valuable document for the study of Chinese pre-Qin history and is regarded by many Western Sinologists as a great material to know about traditional Chinese culture.Therefore,the study of English translations of Zuo Zhuan is quite meaningful for the dissemination of Chinese culture.Up to now,most studies of Zuo Zhuan’s English translations have focused on James Legge’s version,while Hu Zhihui’s version published in 1996 and the latest co-translation published in 2016 are rarely studied.In addition,the existing studies are mainly based on the theories of functional equivalence,translation norms,narratology,and Skopos,but few studies are conducted from the sociological perspective.Based on the three core concepts of "field","capital" and "habitus" in Bourdieu’s sociological theory,the thesis employs the methods of qualitative analysis,comparative analysis and literature research to undertake a comparative study of Hu Zhihui’s translation and the co-translation by Stephen Durrant,Wai-yee Li,and David Schaberg,respectively discussing the influence of field,capital and habitus on the selection of the original work,the feasibility of translation activity and translation strategies as well as methods.The study shows that,firstly,the selection of the original work is closely related to the field.Though produced in different periods and countries,the two English translations of Zuo Zhuan both cater to the needs and expectations of power field,literary field and translation field at that time.Secondly,abundant capital creates huge advantages for translation activities.The financial support of the publishing houses and institutions facilitates the production and publication of the two translations.And the long-term accumulated cultural capital,social capital and symbolic capital of the translators lay a good foundation for them to engage in the translation project of Zuo Zhuan and guarantee the quality of the translation to a certain extent.Finally,different habitus of the translators is shaped by personal experience and is reflected in the translation strategies and methods.Hu’s habitus of emphasizing readability leads him to adopt a reader-centered translation strategy as a whole.His wording is simple and plain and the overall layout of his version is very concise and clear,which optimize the reader’s reading experience and improve the readability,but this method inevitably reduces the faithfulness and damages the cultural characteristics of the original work.The other three translators adhere to the habitus of taking both the academic value and readability into account.On the one hand,they try to preserve the literary and cultural characteristics of Zuo Zhuan in translation,and on the other hand,they add detailed annotations and a large number of explanatory information and auxiliary materials to help readers understand.By doing so,they not only enhance the academic nature of the translation,but also bring convenience to the general readers.This thesis analyzes two English versions of Zuo Zhuan through the lens of Bourdieu’s sociological theory,which provides a new idea for the study of the English translation of Zuo Zhuan and helps scholars understand translation activities from a sociological perspective.It also provides some inspiration for the future translation practice of Chinese classics so as to better promote Chinese literature to go global and spread Chinese culture. |
