Abstract

This thesis is based on the study of culture-oriented translation theories.

Lin Shu’s translation has given rise to a good number of discussions in China and abroad since the early twentieth century. Despite that the translator has long been famous for being indulged in deletion and sinicization, little crucial attention has been paid to cultural elements appearing in his works, and even less, as far as I know, has been attempted to study them from the perspective of Lin’s reformism generated by Qing Dynasty’s self-strengthening efforts and the whole cultural context. Through a critical study of Yinbian yanyu, a rendition of Charles and Mary Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare published by the Commercial Press in 1904, the thesis presents a new reading method—situating translation within the target/culture-oriented framework.  

Not providing judgment,the thesis aims to explicate that translation is more than a linguistic effort. It is always situated in some historical events, so it should be judged and understood ultimately on the basis of such a context. 

Keywords: target/culture-oriented translation theory; Yinbian yanyu; reformism; context

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-1

3. Theoretical Basis-2

3.1 Translators' main goals-3

3. 2 The role and function of translation-4

3.3 Translation strategies-4

4. Characteristics of Lin Shu's Translated Works from English to Chinese-5

4.1 Rewriting and creation-5

4.2 Omission-7

4.3 Classical Chinese-8

5. Case Study: Yinbian yanyu From the Perspective of History and Target Culture-10

5.1 Translation as an instrument for reform-10

5.2 Penetration of traditional beliefs-11

5.23 Penetration of western elements-11

6. Conclusion-12

Works Cited-13