The Catcher in the Rye 中譯本之比較─以多元系統理論探討

Abstract

In Taiwan, there are more than ten Chinese translations of the novel The Catcher in the Rye. These versions have been published in different time span and different in style and translation strategy, which causes reading difficulties. This study used Polysystem theory to analyze the translation norms and style of four selected versions, aiming at finding the relationship between the position of translated literature and its literary co-systems in order to explain the differences among these translations. Different from the traditional translation study which focused on the equivalence between source texts and target texts, Polysystem theory has shifted the attention of translators and researchers of Translation Studies to the function of translating as the medium of culture communication. The results of this study show that, due to the fact that the position of the translated literature changed with the shift of literary contexts from 1960s to the present in Taiwan, the translation norms and strategies for these four Chinese translations were significantly influenced. The research results can provide a reference in the translation policy-making while translating foreign literature into Chinese.