A Study of English Translation of Six Chapters of <i>A Floating Life</i> from the Perspective of Skopos Theory

Ning Li

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16

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A Study of English Translation of Six Chapters of A Floating Life from the Perspective of Skopos Theory

Ning Li

Published in International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 5, Issue 4)

Received: 22 October 2019 Accepted: 13 November 2019 Published: 19 November 2019

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Abstract

Chinese classical literature is the essence of Chinese traditional culture. With the revitalization of China, various western countries in the world have paid great attention to Chinese history, culture and literature. Many excellent Chinese classical works were translated into English. Shen Fu’s (沈複) Fu Sheng Liu Ji («浮生六記») is a representative work of Chinese classical literature and Lin Yutang’s (林語堂) version Six Chapters of A Floating Life is well-received in the English world. This paper attempts to study the application of the Skopos theory with the basic analysis on the translation strategies which is not including domestication and foreignization, but also translation techniques, such as amplification, deletion and annotation from the perspective of theoretical structure. Besides the basis of different translation strategies and techniques using in Lin’s translated version Six Chapters of A Floating Life, the author also try to analyze and illustrate from the perspective of Skopos theory, translators should have the concern of taking the target readers’ demands into consideration firstly before translating texts, for the target readers have their own cultural backgrounds, expectations to translated texts and requirements of cross-cultural communication.

Published in	International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 5, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16
Page(s)	82-88
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Chinese Classical Literature, Translation Strategies, Skopos Theory, Target Reader

References

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[2]	Christiane, Nord. Translating as a Purposeful Activity Functionalist Approaches Explained [M]. Shanghai: Foreigner Language Education Press, 2002.
[3]	Lin Yutang. Six Chapters of A Floating Life [M]. Beijing: Foreign Languages Study and Research Press, 2009.
[4]	Nida, Eugene. Language and Culture-Contexts in Translating [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001.
[5]	Reiss, Katharina & Hans Vermeer. Grundlegung einer allgemeinen Translationtheorie [M]. Tubingen: Niemeyer, 1984.
[6]	Shen Fu. Fu Sheng Liu Ji [M]. Tian Jin Press, 2016.
[7]	Shuttleworth, Mark & Cowie, Moira. Dictionary of Translation Studies [M]. Manchester: St. Jerome, 1997.
[8]	Shao Youxue. New Perspective on Chinese Intellectual History of Translation [M]. Beijing: China Social Science Press, 2018.
[9]	Venuti, Lawrence. The Translation Studies Reader [M]. New York: Routledge, 2004.
[10]	Wang Haixia. Appreciation of Lin Yutang’s English Version of Six Chapters of A Floating Life [J]. Journal of Hanjiang University, vol 3, 95-98, 2003.
[11]	Wang Hongyin. Translation of Chinese Classical Literature [M]. Beijing: Foreign Languages Study and Research Press, 2009.
[12]	Wang Huanchi. Specific Literary Words in Translation and the English Version of Six Chapters of A Floating Life [J]. Journal of Foreign Languages, vol 2, 104-106, 2004.
[13]	Wang Bingqin. History of Chinese Modern Translation Thoughts [M]. Shanghai: East China Normal University Press, 2018.
[14]	Xu Jianping & Zhang Rongxi. Domestication and Foreignization in Cross-cultural Translation [J]. Journal of Chinese Translation, vol 5, 71-75, 2003.
[15]	Zhao Xifang. Translation and Modern China [M]. Shanghai: Fudan University Press, 2018.

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APA Style

Ning Li. (2019). A Study of English Translation of Six Chapters of A Floating Life from the Perspective of Skopos Theory. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 5(4), 82-88. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16

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ACS Style

Ning Li. A Study of English Translation of Six Chapters of A Floating Life from the Perspective of Skopos Theory. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2019, 5(4), 82-88. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16

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AMA Style

Ning Li. A Study of English Translation of Six Chapters of A Floating Life from the Perspective of Skopos Theory. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2019;5(4):82-88. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16

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@article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16,
  author = {Ning Li},
  title = {A Study of English Translation of Six Chapters of A Floating Life from the Perspective of Skopos Theory},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
  volume = {5},
  number = {4},
  pages = {82-88},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20190504.16},
  abstract = {Chinese classical literature is the essence of Chinese traditional culture. With the revitalization of China, various western countries in the world have paid great attention to Chinese history, culture and literature. Many excellent Chinese classical works were translated into English. Shen Fu’s (沈複) Fu Sheng Liu Ji («浮生六記») is a representative work of Chinese classical literature and Lin Yutang’s (林語堂) version Six Chapters of A Floating Life is well-received in the English world. This paper attempts to study the application of the Skopos theory with the basic analysis on the translation strategies which is not including domestication and foreignization, but also translation techniques, such as amplification, deletion and annotation from the perspective of theoretical structure. Besides the basis of different translation strategies and techniques using in Lin’s translated version Six Chapters of A Floating Life, the author also try to analyze and illustrate from the perspective of Skopos theory, translators should have the concern of taking the target readers’ demands into consideration firstly before translating texts, for the target readers have their own cultural backgrounds, expectations to translated texts and requirements of cross-cultural communication.},
 year = {2019}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Study of English Translation of Six Chapters of A Floating Life from the Perspective of Skopos Theory
AU  - Ning Li
Y1  - 2019/11/19
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16
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JF  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JO  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
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AB  - Chinese classical literature is the essence of Chinese traditional culture. With the revitalization of China, various western countries in the world have paid great attention to Chinese history, culture and literature. Many excellent Chinese classical works were translated into English. Shen Fu’s (沈複) Fu Sheng Liu Ji («浮生六記») is a representative work of Chinese classical literature and Lin Yutang’s (林語堂) version Six Chapters of A Floating Life is well-received in the English world. This paper attempts to study the application of the Skopos theory with the basic analysis on the translation strategies which is not including domestication and foreignization, but also translation techniques, such as amplification, deletion and annotation from the perspective of theoretical structure. Besides the basis of different translation strategies and techniques using in Lin’s translated version Six Chapters of A Floating Life, the author also try to analyze and illustrate from the perspective of Skopos theory, translators should have the concern of taking the target readers’ demands into consideration firstly before translating texts, for the target readers have their own cultural backgrounds, expectations to translated texts and requirements of cross-cultural communication.
VL  - 5
IS  - 4
ER  -

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Author Information

Ning Li

School of Foreign Languages, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, PR China

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Ning Li. (2019). A Study of English Translation of Six Chapters of A Floating Life from the Perspective of Skopos Theory. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 5(4), 82-88. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16

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ACS Style

Ning Li. A Study of English Translation of Six Chapters of A Floating Life from the Perspective of Skopos Theory. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2019, 5(4), 82-88. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16

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AMA Style

Ning Li. A Study of English Translation of Six Chapters of A Floating Life from the Perspective of Skopos Theory. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2019;5(4):82-88. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16,
  author = {Ning Li},
  title = {A Study of English Translation of Six Chapters of A Floating Life from the Perspective of Skopos Theory},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
  volume = {5},
  number = {4},
  pages = {82-88},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20190504.16},
  abstract = {Chinese classical literature is the essence of Chinese traditional culture. With the revitalization of China, various western countries in the world have paid great attention to Chinese history, culture and literature. Many excellent Chinese classical works were translated into English. Shen Fu’s (沈複) Fu Sheng Liu Ji («浮生六記») is a representative work of Chinese classical literature and Lin Yutang’s (林語堂) version Six Chapters of A Floating Life is well-received in the English world. This paper attempts to study the application of the Skopos theory with the basic analysis on the translation strategies which is not including domestication and foreignization, but also translation techniques, such as amplification, deletion and annotation from the perspective of theoretical structure. Besides the basis of different translation strategies and techniques using in Lin’s translated version Six Chapters of A Floating Life, the author also try to analyze and illustrate from the perspective of Skopos theory, translators should have the concern of taking the target readers’ demands into consideration firstly before translating texts, for the target readers have their own cultural backgrounds, expectations to translated texts and requirements of cross-cultural communication.},
 year = {2019}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Study of English Translation of Six Chapters of A Floating Life from the Perspective of Skopos Theory
AU  - Ning Li
Y1  - 2019/11/19
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16
T2  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JF  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JO  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
SP  - 82
EP  - 88
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-1271
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20190504.16
AB  - Chinese classical literature is the essence of Chinese traditional culture. With the revitalization of China, various western countries in the world have paid great attention to Chinese history, culture and literature. Many excellent Chinese classical works were translated into English. Shen Fu’s (沈複) Fu Sheng Liu Ji («浮生六記») is a representative work of Chinese classical literature and Lin Yutang’s (林語堂) version Six Chapters of A Floating Life is well-received in the English world. This paper attempts to study the application of the Skopos theory with the basic analysis on the translation strategies which is not including domestication and foreignization, but also translation techniques, such as amplification, deletion and annotation from the perspective of theoretical structure. Besides the basis of different translation strategies and techniques using in Lin’s translated version Six Chapters of A Floating Life, the author also try to analyze and illustrate from the perspective of Skopos theory, translators should have the concern of taking the target readers’ demands into consideration firstly before translating texts, for the target readers have their own cultural backgrounds, expectations to translated texts and requirements of cross-cultural communication.
VL  - 5
IS  - 4
ER  -

Copy | Download