Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/10397/62128
| Title: | Representations of the dead and the afterlife in translations of Mudan Ting, a masterpiece in Chinese Kunqu Theatre | Authors: | Ngai, CSB | Issue Date: | Jan-2016 | Source: | Babel, Jan. 2016, v. 62, no. 2, p. 191-210 | Abstract: | The aim of this paper is to identify and analyze the strategies used to translate into English death related cultural taboos viz. death, ghost and resurrection represented in the prominent classical Chinese drama Mudan Ting. Particular reference is made to the articulation of these taboos in three seminal English versions of Mudan Ting (as Peony Pavilion) by Cyril Birch, Wang Rongpei and Zhang Guanqian, respectively. Although these translators all follow the source text closely, certain differences in their translation strategies warrant attention. Cyril Birch takes an acculturation approach to the translation of death-related material, whereas Wang Rongpei adheres to the original text and tends to use semantic translation. In contrast, Zhang Guanqian usually translates literally, infusing the English text with a "foreign" flavor. These differences are examined in light of the general propensity among translators to take an avoidance approach to death-related material. The strategies used to translate taboo subjects are found to depend on the translator's intentions, the target readership, the specific nature of the culturally loaded elements and the availability of equivalent expressions in the target language and culture. | Keywords: | Cultural taboo Death Ghost Mudan Ting Translation strategy Underworld |
Publisher: | John Benjamins | Journal: | Babel | ISSN: | 0521-9744 | EISSN: | 1569-9668 | DOI: | 10.1075/babel.62.2.02nga | Rights: | © 2016 Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs (FIT) Revue Babel The following publication Ngai, C. S. B. (2016) Representations of the dead and the afterlife in translations of Mudan Ting, a masterpiece in Chinese Kunqu theatre. Babel, 62(2), 191-210 is available at https://dx.doi.org/10.1075/babel.62.2.02nga. Babel is available at https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/15699668 |
| Appears in Collections: | Journal/Magazine Article |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44296_Babel_accepted.pdf | Pre-Published version | 1.54 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
Access
View full-text via PolyU eLinks 
Page views
127
Last Week
0
0
Last month
Citations as of Sep 24, 2023
Downloads
82
Citations as of Sep 24, 2023
SCOPUSTM
Citations
1
Last Week
0
0
Last month
Citations as of Sep 28, 2023
Google ScholarTM
Check
Altmetric
Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.