A Contrast Study On The Translation Of Culture-loaded Words In Four English Versions Of Biancheng From The Perspective Of Hermeneutic Theory

As a model of Chinese vernacular literature and the purest fiction in the history of modern Chinese literature,Shen Congwen’s Bian Cheng has been published in more than 40 countries,in which the culture-loaded words related to geographical features,folklore,historical allusions,dialects,and proverbs in the text are difficult to translate.Since the publication of the original works in 1934,there have been four different English editions,from the 1936 serialized one by Emily Hahn and Shing Mo-Lei in the monthly magazine Tien Hsia Monthly to the 2009 one by the American sinologist Jeffrey Kinkley,in which the translators have been distinctive in their English translations of culture-loaded words.Based on George Steiner’s hermeneutic translation theory,the paper analyzes the translation of culture-loaded words in four English editions through four steps,"trust","aggression","incorporation" and "compensation",making case contrast analysis of the culture-loaded words,and the study finds that:The first English edition of Bian Cheng by Emily Hahn and Shing Mo-Lei is the most readable version,but due to the differences in purposes of publication and linguistic and cultural competence of the translators,there is a low level of trust in the form of culture-loaded words with relatively many revisions and omissions,no footnotes,and an unbalanced translation of culture-loaded words,which is not the most ideal translation from the perspective of cultural exchange.It is recommended to keep more of the less commonly used linguistic culture-loaded words.The latter three editions have improved the presentation of culture-loaded words in English,striving to keep the English version consistent with the original.The culture-loaded words in the collaborative English edition of Ching Ti and Robert Payne,which gives slightly more credit to the original culture-loaded words,is closest to that of the first English edition,but the omission and retranslation is slightly less than that of the first.The English edition by Yang Xiangyi and Gladys Yang highlights the Chinese cultural heritage in simple language.5 footnotes are used to compensate for the culture-loaded words,which are not too many,and there are a few missing translations.Besides,some translations of culture-loaded words do not follow the form of the original.It is recommended that more credits can be given to the form in the translation of proverbs and names of people.The fourth edition was done independently by Jeffrey Kinkley,who has the most trust in the language,culture and spirit of western Hunan.Through 36 detailed end notes in the appendix and more than 30 additional explanations in the text,basically all the culture-loaded words in the original text have been translated to explain in detail the unique Chinese national language and culture.The interpretation of the culture loaded-words is slightly excessive and could be streamlined a little.Based on the hermeneutic translation theory to explore the four English editions,the paper studies and analyzes the translation of culture-loaded words from four steps,presenting the trust and distrust in form and meaning of each edition,the translator’s understanding of the original text after aggression,omission and misinterpretation after understanding the original text,and the imbalance brought by no compensation and over-compensation,in an attempt to decipher the presentation effect of culture-loaded words in English editions.Examining the presentation effects of culture-loaded words in various translations can thus help to provide some references for the contrast study of Chinese culture-loaded words translation.