接受理论视角下《啊，拓荒者》的两个中译本的比较研究_英语论文

A Comparative Study on Two Versions of O, Pioneers! ━A Perspective of Reception Theory 

摘要

《啊，拓荒者！》是威拉·凯瑟的代表作，在文学史上有很重要的地位。距离1913年出版已有超过百年的历史。《啊，拓荒者！》有三本中译本，本文选取了资中筠1983年的中译本和曹明伦1997年的中译本，并从接受理论视域下对两本中译本进行对比分析。

读者期待视域是全部接受理论的核心。在接受理论中，译者将会考虑不同时期的文化因素，充分考虑读者的阶级与受教育水平来满足读者需要。

本文在接受理论关照下从语言学层面和异域文化层面对《啊，拓荒者！》进行具体分析。在语言学层面，大量的例证分析将会从词汇、句子结构和句意表达三个层面展开分析，介绍两本中译本如何对读者期待视域以不同的方式进行关照。除此之外，探讨文化因素层面，本文从西方语言，宗教负载词和文化负载词三个文化方向举例分析，探讨两本中译本如何满足不同的读者期待。最后，从个案研究中得出结论：读者期待视域是如何应用在翻译中的。

关键词：接受理论；文学翻译；《啊，拓荒者！》 ；读者期待视域；历史和文化因素

Abstract

O, Pioneers! is a one of Willa Cather’s masterpieces in literary history. It has been over a century since it’s first published in 1913. There are altogether 3 Chinese versions of O, Pioneers! in China, and this thesis chooses Zi Zhongyun’s Chinese version in 1983 and Cao Minglun’s Chinese version in 1997 to make the comparison. The thesis introduces reception theory and its relationship with translation. It treats the novel O, Pioneers! and the two Chinese versions as the corpus, based on which detailed examples are provided and analyzed.

The readers horizon of expectation is the core of the whole reception theory. According to the reception theory, the translators have to deal with cultural factors in different times, and to fully consider the readers’ status and education level in order to meet readers’ needs.

In this paper, the author analyzes two Chinese versions of O, Pioneers ! from the perspective of linguistic and cultural level in light of reception theory. At linguistic level, dozens of examples’ analysis will be expanded specifically from lexical, syntactical and semantic level, in order to introduce how the two versions respond to readers horizon expectation differently. In addition, by tracing cultural elements, the paper analyzes how  two translations meet different readers’ expectations from foreign languages, religion-loaded phrases and cultural-loaded phrases these three cultural aspects. Finally, the author makes the conclusion through above comparative analysis that how readers’ reception theory applies in translation. 

Keywords: reception theory; literary translation; O, Pioneers!; readers horizon of expectation; historical and cultural facts

Contents

I. Introduction 1

   1.1 The Introduction of Original English novel O,Pioneers! 1

   1.2 Introduction to Two Chinese Versions.. 2

   1.3 Literature Review.. 3

II. Reception Theory and Translation 4

2.1 An Overview of Reception Theory 4

2.2 The Relation Between Reception Theory and Translation 5

III.An Analysis of the Two Versions of O, Pioneers! from the Perspective of Reception Theory 7

3.1 Analysis at Linguistic Level 7

3.1.1 Translation at Lexical Level 8

3.1.2 Translation at Syntactical Level 11

3.1.3 Translation at Semantic Level 14

3.2 Analysis of Cultural Foreignization 16

3.2.1 Translation of Foreign Languages 17

3.2.2 Translation of Religion-Loaded Phrases 18

3.2.3 Translation of Cultural-Loaded Phrases 20

IV. Conclusion 23

Bibliography 25