English Translations of Shuihu Zhuan (eBook)

This book offers a novel perspective on the intersection of translation and narration in literary translation by investigating how three translations of Shuihu Zhuan present the original narrative mode to the target readership in terms of four narrative elements-voice, commentary, point of view and motif-in different periods of history. It not only validates but also quantifies the differences in strategy-making patterns between translators, as well as between different narratological categories. The established theoretical frameworks (including a narrative-descriptive model and a sociological explanatory framework) and the data collected may provide methodological and empirical support for further studies on shifts of narrative features in translation. The tendencies manifested by different translators and identified by the study may also shed new light on the teaching and learning of translation skills.

Dr. Yunhong Wang is a translation scholar and practitioner, and holds a Ph.D. from the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She currently teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on translation as an associate professor affiliated with Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. Dr. Wang has published more than twenty research articles  in journals such as Chinese Translators Journal, Journal of Foreign Languages,Babel, Neohelicon and Perspectives. Her main research areas include translation studies, cultural studies and sociology of translation.

---

This book offers a novel perspective on the intersection of translation and narration in literary translation by investigating how three translations of Shuihu Zhuan present the original narrative mode to the target readership in terms of four narrative elements-voice, commentary, point of view and motif-in different periods of history. It not only validates but also quantifies the differences in strategy-making patterns between translators, as well as between different narratological categories. The established theoretical frameworks (including a narrative-descriptive model and a sociological explanatory framework) and the data collected may provide methodological and empirical support for further studies on shifts of narrative features in translation. The tendencies manifested by different translators and identified by the study may also shed new light on the teaching and learning of translation skills.The book offers a valuable reference guide for scholars, practitioners, translators and graduate students in the fields of e.g. language, translation, literature and cultural studies, and for anyone with an interest in Chinese classical literature, Chinese-English translation, narrative studies or cross-cultural studies.