Brothers, the English translation of Xiong di, is an important work of Chinese contemporary avant-garde writer Yu Hua. After its English version was published in 2009, it has received rave reviews in the English-speaking world. This article, guided by George Steiner's hermeneutics translation theory, takes comparative analysis to analyze the translation strategies of the translators in the process of the four-fold hermeneutic motion proposed by Steiner. Based on the comparison of the concrete examples in the source and target text, a conclusion can be raised that the translators have made the full use of translator’s initiative in the four steps (trust, aggression, incorporation and compensation) to achieve a dynamic balance between domestication and foreignization by taking the target readers' acceptability and the effectiveness of cultural communications into consideration.
| Published in | International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 8, Issue 4) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11 |
| Page(s) | 127-139 |
| 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), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Yu Hua, Brothers, George Steiner, Hermeneutic Translation Theory, The Four-Fold Hermeneutic Motion, Translation Strategies
| [1] | Corrigan, M. “Brothers” offers a sweeping satire of Modern China. National Public Radio, 2009; 2: 11. |
| [2] | Row, J. Chinese Idol. New York Times Book Review, 2009; 5: 8. |
| [3] | Yu H. Xiong Di. Beijing: Writers Publishing House, 2012: 631. |
| [4] | Liu YH. On the Need for Pluralistic Models of Translation Criticism for Literary Translation. Zhang Boran, Xu Jun. Translation Studies in the 21st Century. Beijing: The Commercial Press, 2002: 412. |
| [5] | Xu J. Creative Treason and the Establishment of Translational Subjectivity. Chinese Translators Journal, 2003; 1: 7. |
| [6] | Yuan R. A Literary Translator Who Carefully Builds a Classic Work——an Interview with Mr. Sun Zhili's Translation of The Old Man and the Sea. Chinese Translators Journal, 2020; 6: 83-84. |
| [7] | Zha MJ. On the Subjectivity of the Translator. Chinese Translators Journal, 2003; 1: 23. |
| [8] | Chen DL. Who is the Subject of Translation? Chinese Translators Journal, 2003; 2: 5. |
| [9] | Xu J. Creative Treason and the Establishment of Translational Subjectivity. Chinese Translators Journal, 2003; 1: 9. |
| [10] | Xie TZ. An Introduction to Contemporary Foreign Translation Theories. Tianjin: Nankai University Publishing House, 2012: 105. |
| [11] | Palmer, R. E. Hermeneutics: Interpretation Theory in Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Heidegger, and Gadamer. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1969: 84, 97. |
| [12] | Venuti, L. The Translation Studies Reader. London and New York: Routledge, 2000: 124. |
| [13] | Benjamin, W. “The Task of Translator”, Illuminations: Essays and Reflections. Trans. Harry Zohn, Ed. Hannah Arndt, New York: Schocken, 1969: 260. |
| [14] | Newmark, P. A Textbook of Translation. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001: 35. |
| [15] | Rener, F M. Interpretation: Language and Translation from Cicero to Tytler. Amsterdam and Atlanta, GA: Rodopi, 1989: 27. |
| [16] | Bassnett S, Lefevere A. Constructing Cultures: Essays on Literary Translation. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001: 72. |
| [17] | Wang BR, Quan YB. Translation Strategies for Treating Chinese Culture-Specific Items in Yu Hua’s Brothers: A Statistical and Sample Analysis. Shangdong Foreign Language Teaching, 2017 (4): 90. |
| [18] | Dong GJ. Loyal Beauty: The Translating Strategies of Idioms in Yu Hua’s Brothers. Language and Translation, 2014; 5: 60. |
| [19] | Guo JL. A Foreign Perspective: The Translation and Acceptance of Brothers in the English World. Literary Controversy, 2010; 12: 66. |
| [20] | Miao J. A Study on the English Translation of Brothers from the Perspective of Toury’s Translation Norms Theory. Shanghai: Shanghai International Studies University, 2018: 3. |
| [21] | Chang, MQ. Reception of English Translation of Yu Hua’s Brothers: A Study from Bourdieu’s Sociology. Changsha: Hunan University, 2017: 3. |
| [22] | Gao F. A Study on English Translation of Antonymous Compounds in Yu Hua’s Novel Brothers Based on Construction Coercion. Dalian: Liaoning Normal University, 2015: 3. |
| [23] | Quan YB. A Study of English Translation of Culture-Specific Items in Yu Hua’s Brothers. Hangzhou: Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, 2017: 2. |
| [24] | Hu JJ. Cultural Filtering in the Translation of Xiong Di: From the Perspective of Rewriting Theory. Guangzhou: Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, 2016: 1. |
| [25] | Steiner G. After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001: 312. |
| [26] | Gao F. Respecting the Original Text is the Bottom Line of Translation. Chinese Translators Journal, 2014; 3: 59-60. |
| [27] | Yu H. Brothers. Chow, Eileen Cheng-yin & Carlos, Rojas (trans). New York: Anchor Books, 2009: VIII. |
| [28] | Ibid, IX. |
| [29] | Hu XJ. A Study on the Translation of The Earthen Gate from the perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory. Xi’an: Xi’an University of Technology, 2020: 18. |
| [30] | Jin JH. On the Hermeneutic Theory and Hermeneutic Translation Procedure. Northeastern University, 2005 (5): 384-386. |
| [31] | Yu H. Brothers. Chow, Eileen Cheng-yin & Carlos, Rojas (trans). New York: Anchor Books, 2009: 40. |
| [32] | Yu H. Xiong di. Beijing: Writers Publishing House, 2012: 41. |
| [33] | Lv SX. Chinese Grammatical Analysis. Beijing: The Commercial Press, 1979: 27. |
| [34] | Bassnett S, Lefevere A. Constructing Cultures: Essays on Literary Translation. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001: 67. |
| [35] | Steiner G. After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001: 314. |
| [36] | Ibid, 317-318. |
| [37] | Steiner G. After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation. Trans. By Zhuang Yichuan. Beijing: China Translation and Publishing Corporation, 1987: 181. |
| [38] | Munday J. Introducing Translation Studies. London& New York: Routledge, 2016: 165. |
| [39] | Baker M. Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2010: 132. |
| [40] | Liu ZJ. General History of Western Translation Theories. Wuhan: Wuhan University Press, 2009: 219. |
| [41] | Benjamin W. “The Task of Translator”, Illuminations: Essays and Reflections. Trans. Harry Zohn, Ed. Hannah Arndt, New York: Schocken, 1969: 69, 82. |
| [42] | Gao F. Respecting the Original Work should be the Bottom Line of Translation—An Interview with Yu Hua. Chinese Translators Journal, 2014 (3): 65. |
APA Style
Wang Lili. (2022). A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 8(4), 127-139. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11
ACS Style
Wang Lili. A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2022, 8(4), 127-139. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11
@article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11,
author = {Wang Lili},
title = {A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory},
journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
volume = {8},
number = {4},
pages = {127-139},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20220804.11},
abstract = {Brothers, the English translation of Xiong di, is an important work of Chinese contemporary avant-garde writer Yu Hua. After its English version was published in 2009, it has received rave reviews in the English-speaking world. This article, guided by George Steiner's hermeneutics translation theory, takes comparative analysis to analyze the translation strategies of the translators in the process of the four-fold hermeneutic motion proposed by Steiner. Based on the comparison of the concrete examples in the source and target text, a conclusion can be raised that the translators have made the full use of translator’s initiative in the four steps (trust, aggression, incorporation and compensation) to achieve a dynamic balance between domestication and foreignization by taking the target readers' acceptability and the effectiveness of cultural communications into consideration.},
year = {2022}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory AU - Wang Lili Y1 - 2022/11/16 PY - 2022 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11 DO - 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11 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 - 127 EP - 139 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2472-1271 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11 AB - Brothers, the English translation of Xiong di, is an important work of Chinese contemporary avant-garde writer Yu Hua. After its English version was published in 2009, it has received rave reviews in the English-speaking world. This article, guided by George Steiner's hermeneutics translation theory, takes comparative analysis to analyze the translation strategies of the translators in the process of the four-fold hermeneutic motion proposed by Steiner. Based on the comparison of the concrete examples in the source and target text, a conclusion can be raised that the translators have made the full use of translator’s initiative in the four steps (trust, aggression, incorporation and compensation) to achieve a dynamic balance between domestication and foreignization by taking the target readers' acceptability and the effectiveness of cultural communications into consideration. VL - 8 IS - 4 ER -