A Descriptive Study of Howard Goldblatt’s Translation of Red Sorghum With Reference to Translational Norms

• 作者: Harold Lesch Lauren Gibello
• 来源期刊: 语言与符号学研究
• 学科: 教育
• 关键词: English TRANSLATION norms RED SORGHUM Howard Goldblatt MO Yan
• 年，卷（期）: 2017,（2）
• 页码范围: 67-109
• 页数: 43页
• 分类号: G633.41

摘要

This research seeks to provide a descriptive study of the English translation of the breakthrough Chinese novel Red Sorghum by Mo Yan.The novel is a prime example for the research into strategies and norms in translation within a Chinese-English framework for three main reasons.Firstly,due to the huge impact the novel has had in terms of its truth-telling about the Sino-Japanese War(1937– 1945)in China.Secondly,because of Mo Yan’s unique non-linear writing style,and thirdly for the fact that the novel was translated by Howard Goldblatt,who is an American native English speaker,which is fairly rare in terms of Chinese-English translations.This research seeks not only to provide a descriptive study of Howard Goldblatt’s English translation of the breakthrough Chinese novel but also to explore the strategies he employs during the translation process.An investigation is carried out to determine whether Goldblatt makes use of particular translation strategies and follows these approaches throughout the novel,thereby creating certain translational norms.Through primary research into the novel one would find that this is in fact the case.For example,he makes use of a domesticating approach in terms of translating Chinese cultural items,phrases,or terms.However,it is only through more in-depth research and a close comparison of the source and target texts,that one finds that Goldblatt does not in fact follow similar strategies in every instance but uses them sporadically throughout the novel according to the context or message that must be carried across.These discoveries are significant in that they are not entirely what is expected nor what is initially found by other scholars.Finally,the results of this research along with the descriptive study of the translation of Red Sorghum and the investigations into the translation strategies and norms at play during the translation process allow for better understanding of the translation process.Furthermore,the results show evidence that strategies can be used interchang