A Study On The English Translation Of Onomatopoeia In Mo Yan’s Novels From The Perspective Of Eco-translatology

Onomatopoeia is a word used to imitate natural or artificial sounds in a language and has distinctive characteristics.Onomatopoeia is not only closely related to our life,but also widely employed in literary works,which has a value that cannot be ignored.However,onomatopoeia itself obtains meaning from sound,and its research value is easily ignored by scholars.The relevant translation studies is also less,so in-depth research on onomatopoeia should attract the attention of relevant scholars.Eco-translatology proposed by Professor Hu Gengshen in 2001 is a theory that originated in China,which provides a new perspective and research method for translation studies.This theory emphasizes that the translation process includes two stages: adaptation and selection.Adaptation is the translator’s adaptation to the translational eco-environment,and selection is the translator’s text transplantation,which transforms the original text in the linguistic,cultural,and communicative dimensions.When the multi-dimensional transformation is achieved,the translator can produce a proper translation.This study combines qualitative and quantitative research methods and seeks to take Mo Yan’s four novels(Red Sorghum,Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out,The Republic of Wine and Frog)and Goldblatt’s translations as the research objects within the framework of Eco-translatology theory to delve into the English translation of onomatopoeia from three dimensions: linguistic dimension,cultural dimension,and communicative dimension with the aim of analyzing Goldblatt’s translation strategies.Given this,this study seeks to answer the three questions:(1)How does Howard Goldblatt adapt to the translation eco-environment before the English translation of onomatopoeia?(2)How does Howard Goldblatt translate onomatopoeia through the three-dimensional transformation of Eco-transtology?(3)What translation methods has Howard Goldblatt specifically employed in translating onomatopoeia in Mo Yan’s novels? The significant findings are as follows.(1)Goldblatt adapts to the translational environment of onomatopoeia in Mo Yan’s Novels,the ideology of target society and target readers,and the translator’s bilingual and bicultural competence.(2)Goldblatt realizes the three-dimensional transformation of onomatopoeia from the perspective of Eco-translatology.In the linguistic dimension,Goldblatt realizes the transformation of syllable,syntax,and rhetoric of onomatopoeia.In the cultural dimension,Goldblatt transforms cultural information mainly through foreignization and domestication.In the communicative dimension,Goldblatt explains the realization of communicative intention by onomatopoeia translation in describing state of things,rendering the environment atmosphere,revealing the personality,and feelings of character.(3)The translation strategies and methods of onomatopoeia in Mo Yan’s novels,include literal translation(48.87%),transliteration(8.80%),interpretation(10.30%),adding modifiers(12.13%),innovation(5.85%),and omission(14.05%).To sum up,the translator adapts to the translational eco-environment before translation;then the translator should achieve multi-dimensional transformation such as linguistic dimension,cultural dimension and communication dimension in the process of translation.