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Macau Periodical Index (澳門期刊論文索引)
- Author
- Sobral, Simao Pedro Rocha
- Title
- Liang Qichao’s and Lu Xun’s translations of fiction from a functionalist perspective
- Journal Name
- 南國文藝評論
- Pub. Info
- 2025年5月, 第1期, 第25-58頁
- Link
- https://rchsc.fah.um.edu.mo/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/25-58.pdf
- Keyword
- Liang Qichao；Lu Xun；Fiction translation；Translation intention；Translation norms
- Abstract
- When considering methods and practices of translation through a historical lens, we are confronted with two orders of questions, the first being “what to translate?” and the second “how to translate?”. Both questions require taking into account the historically and culturally grounded norms behind translational activity. Bearing in mind that, in translation, the ends often justify the means, we attempt, in the present essay, to understand Liang Qichao’s freer mode of translation and Lu Xun’s literalist approach of “hard translation” through a functional perspective. We understand both the translator’s intention and the function of the translated text from the point of view of the translator and the target culture. The attention given to the translator and his socio-historical situation will allow us to see how the translator’s intention and the function he assigns to the translated text affect both what is translated and the norms followed in the translation. The essay attempts to show that Liang Qichao’s more “domesticated” translations of fiction served the function desired by its translator, and contrast it with Lu Xun’s closer and more “foreignizing” translation of western fiction, which served a different function as a result of changes in the cultural and intellectual milieu. Paragraph Headings： 1. Introduction 2. Translated fiction in China (1898-1920s): context and relevance 3. Translation norms and historical factors 4. Liang Qichao’s translations of political novels 5. Lu Xun’s “foreignizing” turn in translation 6. Conclusions