Abstract

The translation of prose writings is an important part in translation, and it is also difficult to be dealt with. Acknowledge the skill of expressing language functions is of great important in translating famous prose like Moonlight over the Lotus Pond.
This paper is intended to make a comparative study on the two English versions of Moonlight over the Lotus Pond, translated respectively by Zhu Chunshen and Wang Jiaosheng. It argues that the source language characteristics mainly lie in aesthetic function though language has six functions according to Peter Newmark. As far as the transference of aesthetic function in the two English versions is concerned, the paper points out that Zhu Chunshen’s version outweighs Wang Jiaosheng’s .

Key words: translation of prose, functional equivalence, aesthetic function, reduplicated words

摘   要

散文翻译是翻译中比较重要的部分，也是比较难以把握的部分。尤其对于像《荷塘月色》这样有着极强的美感功能的散文名篇的翻译，需要极强的驾驭译述语言的能力。
本文从语言的美感功能的角度对朱自清的散文名篇《荷塘月色》的两个英译本进行比较研究，译者分别是朱纯深和王椒升。通过对两译者在美感功能的体现的比较，笔者认为朱纯深的译文因更能把握功能对等而在形式美、音韵美和意蕴美等方面传达出原文的风格，从而使英文读者和中文读者一样能欣赏到朱自清的传世之作。

关键词：散文翻译；功能对等；美感功能；叠词

1.    Introduction
There have been many linguists studying in language functions and providing kinds of opinions on the classification of language functions. Buhler, one of the most famous psychologists, earliest puts forward a functional theory of language. According to Buhler, the three main functions of language are the expressive, the informative — he called it “representation”— and the vocative (“appealing”) functions, which are the main purposes of using language. After Buhler, many famous linguists come up with different kinds of functional theories of language, which are more detailed than that of Buhler. For example, Jakobson has established the famous framework of language functions, which are referential function, emotive function, conative function, phatic function, metalingual function and poetic function. In addition, Halliday has come up with the theory of metalingual functions, including ideational function, interpersonal function and textual function. In this thesis, Peter Newmark’s classification will be employed.