A study of the English-Chinese Translation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone from the Perspective of Reception Aesthetics
Abstract
As is often the case, outstanding literary works find an echo in different regions. More often than not, such works will gain admiration from people of diverse languages and cultures. Owing to rich imagination and elegant words combined with gorgeous literary talent, British writer JK Rowling helped achieve a new climax in British literature after her publishing a series of works of Harry Potter. The book’s sale leapt into the front ranks in more than 100 countries, which was also the truth in China. As the famous work leading Rowling to fame, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone is personally the most interesting and particularly fine in wording. However, the successful publicity of literature works, especially oriented to crossing its borders, calls for a translation just to the point. In other words, translation plays a decisive role in the original works’ publicity. In China, People's Press has put out a Chinese version of Harry Potter, which for a long time topped the best-sellers , arousing a heated discussion on the internet.
The exact concept of the perspective of reception aesthetics was come up with in 1967 by literature and art professor Jauss in Konz tans University of Germany. The core of the concept is to start from the audience and the acceptance. According to Jauss, a work, even if published, is just semi-finished without readers’ reading. He claims that aesthetic practice involves three aspects, that is, literature creation, communication and acceptance. In the process of literature acceptance, readers create the work in their mind by their experience in aesthetics, during which the implication and values of the work are exploited. As for classics, they can only exist with acceptance, which is often limited to readers’ knowledge levels and contents of the works. At this understanding, a translation at one's own will is not recommendable. It is through their works that writers realize the communication with readers. To sum up, literature works are about the interaction between writers and readers. A finished work is one accepted by readers. In translation, applying the perspective of reception aesthetics to children’s literature translation should be taken as a strategy. The Chinese version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone, published by The People's Literature Publishing House in September, 2017, was translated by Su Nong. A survey carried recently owes the charm of Harry Potter to its magic plots and lively, playful words, which contribute much to its attraction among various readers, especially children. Articles dealing with the perspective of reception aesthetics are in large numbers, but little relating to a translation of Harry Potter has ever been mentioned. Though some have made analysis about the content, still little was said concerning its translation strategies , merits and demerits.
This paper proposes the idea of basing children’s literature translation on the perspective of reception aesthetics, briefly introducing basic theories of aesthetics, its history and the relationship between literature translation study and aesthetics. Under the guidance of the perspective of reception aesthetics, the paper makes an anylasis of the Chinese version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone（The People's Literature Publishing House）. The paper also makes clear the way the translator takes and evaluates the merits and demerits existing in the translation. Based on the theory of the perspective of reception aesthetics, this paper offers a translation of my own. This paper intends to give strategies for future translators devoting themselves to foreign literature translation, which I expect can bring better results in the process of culture spreading.
Key words: the perspective of reception aesthetics, children's literature translation, demostication, foreignization ，英语论文，英语论文题目 |
