The translation of cultural elements in Wei Cheng from Chinese into English / Gao Jiao

Gao, Jiao (2016) The translation of cultural elements in Wei Cheng from Chinese into English / Gao Jiao. Masters thesis, University of Malaya.

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Abstract

In the context of ESL learning, translation has been playing a significant role as being either a means or an end of ESL learning. From the perspective of ESL learners, cultural transmission from L1 to L2 is integral to their communicative proficiency and cultural competence in language learning process. This research, therefore, is aimed at studying the translation of cultural elements in an outstanding Chinese novel as a learning implication to Chinese learners of English as a second language. To conduct the research, the cultural elements are searched and identified manually in the source text Wei Cheng and its English version Fortress Besieged according to Newmark’s (1998) classification of cultural words. And each cultural element and its English translation extracted are aligned (manually) to analyze the procedures applied in the translation process based on Vinay & Darbelnet’s (1995) model. Moreover, the translated version is assessed to see whether the original meanings of the cultural elements are conveyed effectively. Accordingly, the findings are classified into two groups: the translations which appropriately convey the cultural elements; the translations which inappropriately interpret or even distort the cultural elements. Diversified translation procedures are applied for effective translations, in which “literal translation” is most frequently used. And attempts are made to propose more appropriate procedures and versions of translations for the translations which are not effectively translated. The findings also may be able to assist the ESL learners to transfer from L1 to L2 in a more effective way.

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