Abstract: Abnormal translation approaches refer to those that do not conform to the traditional translation criteria, including adapting, rewriting, abridging, extracting. Fiction translation in the late Qing Dynasty is imbedded in the third surge of translation of Chinese history, and abnormal translation approaches were widely practiced in this period. Although they were not faithful to the original works, translators in this period made a great contribution to the enlightenment of Chinese public and the modernization of Chinese culture and fiction. However, after the May Fourth Movement, this translation strategy was condemned widely from the perspective of text transfer because of their unfaithfulness. This paper, viewed from the “culture turn” hypothesis, will observe translated fictions in the cultural background of the late Qing Dynasty and try to justify abnormal translation approaches by analyzing the causes underlying them and the influence of the translated fictions upon the succeeding translation and translators. The paper consists of three parts. Part one reviews diachronically the state of abnormal translation approaches and the viewpoints of some scholars. Part two expounds the causes of abnormal translation approaches. Part three describes the positive impact of translated fictions in the late Qing Dynasty. 

Key words: abnormal translation approaches; fiction translation of Late Qing Dynasty; context of target culture; poetics

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction1

2. Literature Review.3

3. Causes of Abnormal Translation Approaches.6

3.1 Context of Target Culture

  3.2 Poetics of Target Culture

4. Influence Effected by Abnormal Translation Approaches14

  4.1 Transmission of Western Culture

  4.2 Modernization of Chinese Fictions

  4.3 Inspiration to Translation Activities

5. Conclusion

Bibliography.

Acknowledgements