A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory

Wang Lili

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11

| Peer-Reviewed

A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory

Wang Lili

Published in International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 8, Issue 4)

Received: 27 April 2022 Accepted: 10 May 2022 Published: 16 November 2022

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

Brothers, the English translation of Xiong di, is an important work of Chinese contemporary avant-garde writer Yu Hua. After its English version was published in 2009, it has received rave reviews in the English-speaking world. This article, guided by George Steiner's hermeneutics translation theory, takes comparative analysis to analyze the translation strategies of the translators in the process of the four-fold hermeneutic motion proposed by Steiner. Based on the comparison of the concrete examples in the source and target text, a conclusion can be raised that the translators have made the full use of translator’s initiative in the four steps (trust, aggression, incorporation and compensation) to achieve a dynamic balance between domestication and foreignization by taking the target readers' acceptability and the effectiveness of cultural communications into consideration.

Published in	International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 8, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11
Page(s)	127-139
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Yu Hua, Brothers, George Steiner, Hermeneutic Translation Theory, The Four-Fold Hermeneutic Motion, Translation Strategies

References

[1]	Corrigan, M. “Brothers” offers a sweeping satire of Modern China. National Public Radio, 2009; 2: 11.
[2]	Row, J. Chinese Idol. New York Times Book Review, 2009; 5: 8.
[3]	Yu H. Xiong Di. Beijing: Writers Publishing House, 2012: 631.
[4]	Liu YH. On the Need for Pluralistic Models of Translation Criticism for Literary Translation. Zhang Boran, Xu Jun. Translation Studies in the 21st Century. Beijing: The Commercial Press, 2002: 412.
[5]	Xu J. Creative Treason and the Establishment of Translational Subjectivity. Chinese Translators Journal, 2003; 1: 7.
[6]	Yuan R. A Literary Translator Who Carefully Builds a Classic Work——an Interview with Mr. Sun Zhili's Translation of The Old Man and the Sea. Chinese Translators Journal, 2020; 6: 83-84.
[7]	Zha MJ. On the Subjectivity of the Translator. Chinese Translators Journal, 2003; 1: 23.
[8]	Chen DL. Who is the Subject of Translation? Chinese Translators Journal, 2003; 2: 5.
[9]	Xu J. Creative Treason and the Establishment of Translational Subjectivity. Chinese Translators Journal, 2003; 1: 9.
[10]	Xie TZ. An Introduction to Contemporary Foreign Translation Theories. Tianjin: Nankai University Publishing House, 2012: 105.
[11]	Palmer, R. E. Hermeneutics: Interpretation Theory in Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Heidegger, and Gadamer. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1969: 84, 97.
[12]	Venuti, L. The Translation Studies Reader. London and New York: Routledge, 2000: 124.
[13]	Benjamin, W. “The Task of Translator”, Illuminations: Essays and Reflections. Trans. Harry Zohn, Ed. Hannah Arndt, New York: Schocken, 1969: 260.
[14]	Newmark, P. A Textbook of Translation. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001: 35.
[15]	Rener, F M. Interpretation: Language and Translation from Cicero to Tytler. Amsterdam and Atlanta, GA: Rodopi, 1989: 27.
[16]	Bassnett S, Lefevere A. Constructing Cultures: Essays on Literary Translation. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001: 72.
[17]	Wang BR, Quan YB. Translation Strategies for Treating Chinese Culture-Specific Items in Yu Hua’s Brothers: A Statistical and Sample Analysis. Shangdong Foreign Language Teaching, 2017 (4): 90.
[18]	Dong GJ. Loyal Beauty: The Translating Strategies of Idioms in Yu Hua’s Brothers. Language and Translation, 2014; 5: 60.
[19]	Guo JL. A Foreign Perspective: The Translation and Acceptance of Brothers in the English World. Literary Controversy, 2010; 12: 66.
[20]	Miao J. A Study on the English Translation of Brothers from the Perspective of Toury’s Translation Norms Theory. Shanghai: Shanghai International Studies University, 2018: 3.
[21]	Chang, MQ. Reception of English Translation of Yu Hua’s Brothers: A Study from Bourdieu’s Sociology. Changsha: Hunan University, 2017: 3.
[22]	Gao F. A Study on English Translation of Antonymous Compounds in Yu Hua’s Novel Brothers Based on Construction Coercion. Dalian: Liaoning Normal University, 2015: 3.
[23]	Quan YB. A Study of English Translation of Culture-Specific Items in Yu Hua’s Brothers. Hangzhou: Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, 2017: 2.
[24]	Hu JJ. Cultural Filtering in the Translation of Xiong Di: From the Perspective of Rewriting Theory. Guangzhou: Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, 2016: 1.
[25]	Steiner G. After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001: 312.
[26]	Gao F. Respecting the Original Text is the Bottom Line of Translation. Chinese Translators Journal, 2014; 3: 59-60.
[27]	Yu H. Brothers. Chow, Eileen Cheng-yin & Carlos, Rojas (trans). New York: Anchor Books, 2009: VIII.
[28]	Ibid, IX.
[29]	Hu XJ. A Study on the Translation of The Earthen Gate from the perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory. Xi’an: Xi’an University of Technology, 2020: 18.
[30]	Jin JH. On the Hermeneutic Theory and Hermeneutic Translation Procedure. Northeastern University, 2005 (5): 384-386.
[31]	Yu H. Brothers. Chow, Eileen Cheng-yin & Carlos, Rojas (trans). New York: Anchor Books, 2009: 40.
[32]	Yu H. Xiong di. Beijing: Writers Publishing House, 2012: 41.
[33]	Lv SX. Chinese Grammatical Analysis. Beijing: The Commercial Press, 1979: 27.
[34]	Bassnett S, Lefevere A. Constructing Cultures: Essays on Literary Translation. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001: 67.
[35]	Steiner G. After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001: 314.
[36]	Ibid, 317-318.
[37]	Steiner G. After Babel: Aspects of Language and Translation. Trans. By Zhuang Yichuan. Beijing: China Translation and Publishing Corporation, 1987: 181.
[38]	Munday J. Introducing Translation Studies. London& New York: Routledge, 2016: 165.
[39]	Baker M. Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2010: 132.
[40]	Liu ZJ. General History of Western Translation Theories. Wuhan: Wuhan University Press, 2009: 219.
[41]	Benjamin W. “The Task of Translator”, Illuminations: Essays and Reflections. Trans. Harry Zohn, Ed. Hannah Arndt, New York: Schocken, 1969: 69, 82.
[42]	Gao F. Respecting the Original Work should be the Bottom Line of Translation—An Interview with Yu Hua. Chinese Translators Journal, 2014 (3): 65.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Wang Lili. (2022). A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 8(4), 127-139. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Wang Lili. A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2022, 8(4), 127-139. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Wang Lili. A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2022;8(4):127-139. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11,
  author = {Wang Lili},
  title = {A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
  volume = {8},
  number = {4},
  pages = {127-139},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20220804.11},
  abstract = {Brothers, the English translation of Xiong di, is an important work of Chinese contemporary avant-garde writer Yu Hua. After its English version was published in 2009, it has received rave reviews in the English-speaking world. This article, guided by George Steiner's hermeneutics translation theory, takes comparative analysis to analyze the translation strategies of the translators in the process of the four-fold hermeneutic motion proposed by Steiner. Based on the comparison of the concrete examples in the source and target text, a conclusion can be raised that the translators have made the full use of translator’s initiative in the four steps (trust, aggression, incorporation and compensation) to achieve a dynamic balance between domestication and foreignization by taking the target readers' acceptability and the effectiveness of cultural communications into consideration.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory
AU  - Wang Lili
Y1  - 2022/11/16
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11
T2  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JF  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JO  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
SP  - 127
EP  - 139
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-1271
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11
AB  - Brothers, the English translation of Xiong di, is an important work of Chinese contemporary avant-garde writer Yu Hua. After its English version was published in 2009, it has received rave reviews in the English-speaking world. This article, guided by George Steiner's hermeneutics translation theory, takes comparative analysis to analyze the translation strategies of the translators in the process of the four-fold hermeneutic motion proposed by Steiner. Based on the comparison of the concrete examples in the source and target text, a conclusion can be raised that the translators have made the full use of translator’s initiative in the four steps (trust, aggression, incorporation and compensation) to achieve a dynamic balance between domestication and foreignization by taking the target readers' acceptability and the effectiveness of cultural communications into consideration.
VL  - 8
IS  - 4
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Wang Lili

School of Modern Science and Technology, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Wang Lili. (2022). A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 8(4), 127-139. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Wang Lili. A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2022, 8(4), 127-139. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Wang Lili. A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2022;8(4):127-139. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11,
  author = {Wang Lili},
  title = {A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
  volume = {8},
  number = {4},
  pages = {127-139},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20220804.11},
  abstract = {Brothers, the English translation of Xiong di, is an important work of Chinese contemporary avant-garde writer Yu Hua. After its English version was published in 2009, it has received rave reviews in the English-speaking world. This article, guided by George Steiner's hermeneutics translation theory, takes comparative analysis to analyze the translation strategies of the translators in the process of the four-fold hermeneutic motion proposed by Steiner. Based on the comparison of the concrete examples in the source and target text, a conclusion can be raised that the translators have made the full use of translator’s initiative in the four steps (trust, aggression, incorporation and compensation) to achieve a dynamic balance between domestication and foreignization by taking the target readers' acceptability and the effectiveness of cultural communications into consideration.},
 year = {2022}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Study on the Translation Strategies of Brothers from the Perspective of George Steiner’s Hermeneutics Translation Theory
AU  - Wang Lili
Y1  - 2022/11/16
PY  - 2022
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11
T2  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JF  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JO  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
SP  - 127
EP  - 139
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-1271
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220804.11
AB  - Brothers, the English translation of Xiong di, is an important work of Chinese contemporary avant-garde writer Yu Hua. After its English version was published in 2009, it has received rave reviews in the English-speaking world. This article, guided by George Steiner's hermeneutics translation theory, takes comparative analysis to analyze the translation strategies of the translators in the process of the four-fold hermeneutic motion proposed by Steiner. Based on the comparison of the concrete examples in the source and target text, a conclusion can be raised that the translators have made the full use of translator’s initiative in the four steps (trust, aggression, incorporation and compensation) to achieve a dynamic balance between domestication and foreignization by taking the target readers' acceptability and the effectiveness of cultural communications into consideration.
VL  - 8
IS  - 4
ER  -

Copy | Download