Case Study on Translation of Luo Cha Hai Shi by Herbert From a Polysystem Approach

唐維祎

【Abstract】It has been commonly acknowledged that translation is not merely an act of communication between languages， but also an act of transference between cultures. According to the research， it is reasonable for Giles to adopt domestication in his translation. The paper concludes that cultural factors have great influence on translators choice in practical process and studies on translation should be conducted with consideration of historical and cultural contexts.

【Key words】Luo Cha Hai Shi； Herbert； Polysystem Theory

I. Literature Review： Luo Cha Hai Shi and The Lo-Cha Country and the Sea-Market

A. Introduction to Pu Songling and Luo Cha Hai Shi

Pu Songling， known as the author of Liao Zhai Zhi Yi， is a remarkable writer in the early Qing Dynasty. After his failure to achieve the civil service rank many times， he spared no efforts collecting and writing the strange tales. Owing to its significant thematic and artistic achievements， Liao Zhai Zhi Yi， a collection of 491 short weird stories in traditional Chinese， is celebrated as the culmination of classical Chinese literature. Of all the pieces in the collection， Luo Cha Hai Shi is definitely one of the most famous ones for its unique plots. It tells an adventure story of Ma Ji， a young scholar， after his accidental entering into a different world in which the ugliest are regarded as the prettiest. The story contains many cultural-loaded expressions， which poses a challenge in front of those who are not familiar with traditional Chinese culture.

B. Introduction to Herbert Allen Giles

Herbert Allen Giles， an English diplomat and sinologist in the middle 19th Century， was appointed to China as a consul at the age of 22， after which he began his career and life in many cities in China for over twenty years. In his lifetime， Giles published a great deal of essays and translated works on the Chinese culture and literature.

Entitled Strange Stories from A Chinese Studio， the version translated by Giles， covering 164 stories in the original book， stands as the most thorough reproduction of Luo Cha Hai Shi in all the early English editions.

II. Theoretical Basis： Polysystem Theory

Polysystem is an essential theory in cultural approach of translation put forward by Israeli scholar Itamar Even-Zohar in 1970s. The establishment of the theory is marked when， in 1976， he published the essay “The Position of Translated Literature Within the Literary Polysystem”， in which he suggested that the relationship between translated works and the literary polysystem cannot be categorized as either primary or secondary， but as variable， depending upon the specific circumstance operating within the literary system.endprint

Even-Zohar concentrates on the relationship between translation literature and the whole literature hierarchical system and analyzed the different positions of translation literature and the originally writings literature in a specific cultural context. Specifically speaking， in the polysystem with a short history or less civilized culture， translation usually occupies a central position. If translation literature is primary， translators enjoy more freedom to follow target literature models and be more prepared to break conventions. As a result， they tend to produce a Target Text which is in a close match with the Source Text. In contrast， in the polysystem with a well-developed civilization， translation will retreat to a marginal or peripheral position. When translation is secondary， translators are inclined to be more conservative and adhere to the ready-made models. In other words， translation tends towards adequacy when it is at the center and towards acceptability when it is at the peripheral.

III. Analysis on the Choice of Translation Strategies by Giles

A. Position of Source Language Culture in Target Language System

In his lifetime， Herbert A. Giles experienced almost the whole Victoria Era， an era that witnessed the emergence and prosperity of Britain. The translation was finished in 1878， when the Empire had climbed to its peak. The Industrial Revolution had brought about economic， social and artistic innovation and witnessed the extraordinary achievements in science and humanities. English literature also embraced its golden time with the boom of novels， proses and poetry. In a word， during the second half of the19th Century， English literature occupied a primary position in the polysystem whereas translated literature located at a periphery one.

B. Translators Cultural Identity and Intention of Translation

On the one hand， attention should be given to the translators personal experience. Giles was born in an intellectual family and his father was an outstanding scholar and clergyman. Therefore， Giles was grown up in a good atmosphere of Western culture. English being his mother tongue， Giles would be inclined to furnish English with higher position. On the other hand， to study the intention of translator is of necessity as well. In his work， Giles described Liao Zhai Zhi Yi as “a work which for purity and beauty of style is now universally accepted in China as the best and most perfect model”. Therefore， out of admiration and appreciation， Giles committed himself to introducing the book to the English world which had little knowledge of Chinese literature and culture at that time.endprint

From the analysis above， it is illustrated that the English translated version of Liao Zhai Zhi Yi took a peripheral position in the English world at Giless time. Hence， when translating the book， Giles would be conservative and give top priority to the acceptance of translation. In other words， he would prefer the strategy of domestication tin the transaltion.

IV. Case Study on The Lo-Cha Country and the Sea-Market

There is no doubt that domestication can be realized in various methods and this essay concentrates on the specific skills in three major categories： substitution， interpretation and omission. Detailed analysis and evaluation is unfolded as follows.

A. Substitution

Substitution can be employed to pick up a suitable image in target culture so as to convey the content of original work in the context as much as possible.

Example 1：

ST： 村人指曰：“此相國也。”……又數騎出，曰：“此大夫也。”

TT： … “That is the prime minister.” … “Those are privy counselors， said the villagers.”

“相國”and“大夫”， as official titles in ancient China， can be traced back to Qin Dynasty， which arouses difficulty in understanding for western readers for its deeply rooted connotation in the history. Therefore， Giles turned to their counterparts “prime minister” and “privy counselors” to achieve the expected effect without making the readers puzzled or lost.

B. Interpretation

Interpretation is needed to provide a definition or limitation to the concept when the readers in target culture do not possess related knowledge on the information in the original text.

Example 2

ST： 生謝曰：“逆旅孤臣，過蒙優寵，銜報之誠，結于肺肝。

TT： Ma thanked the king for his great kindness， which he declared he could never forget.

In Chinese traditional culture， ones feelings and emotions are closely associated with the organs in the body. For instance， the idiom “肝腸寸斷”and “大動肝火”showed the intense emotion can be reflected on the change of liver， which can never be imagined by readers from western culture. In fact， the phrase “結于肺肝”in the context means “stored in the depth of the heart”. Adopting the method of interpretation， Giles translated it into “he could never forget” and successfully frees the readers from the restriction of cultural differences.

C. Omission

Omission can be used to delete the information which is unimportant， untranslatable or has been conveyed in the text for more than one time.

Example 3：endprint

ST： 靈輿至殯宮，有女子缞绖臨穴。

TT： There was the princess standing by the side of the grave.

“缞绖” refers to a special suit of hempen mourning clothes wearing on a funeral in ancient China. As a symbol of traditional Chinese burial culture， it is hard to reproduce the connotation and it would even lead to misunderstanding if the translation is not proper and accurate. Whats more， it is not a critical information in the context that exerts much impact on the whole story， especially in a translated version for readers to have a glimpse of the Chinese culture from thousands of miles away at that time. Thus， it can be understood why Giles removed the description of the clothes in his translation.

V. Conclusion

In conclusion， Polysystem Theory can be employed on the case study of translated work and culture is an indispensable factor that should be taken into consideration. According to the strategies of translation adopted by Giles is a result of the influence of cultural context at his time. And his translation， though with defects and controversy， is of reasonability and feasibility. With all his efforts and energy paid in the work， his translation of this pearl shining in the literature world deserves “a perfect example of translation”.

References：

[1]Even-Zohar，Itamar.“The Position of Translated Literature Within the Literary Polysystem.” In Papers in Historical Poetics.Tel Aviv：Porter Institute，1978.Print.

[2]Gentzler，Edwin.Contemporary Translation Theories.Shanghai：Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press，2004.Print.

[3]Giles H.Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio[M].Shanghai，Hongkong，Singapore：Kelly and Walsh，1926：xxi.

[4]蒲松齡.聊齋志異[M].長沙岳麓書社，1989.

[5]遲慶立.文化翻譯策略的多樣性與多譯本互補研究[D].上海外國語學，2007.endprint