The Variation of the Black Image in Hei Nu Yu Tian Lu from the Skopos Theory

Guo Jiaying

doi:10.32996/ijllt.2021.4.6.26

Abstract

Lin Shu, who does not comprehend English, translated roughly 170 foreign novels. His second translation Hei Nu Yu Tian Lu (Uncle Tom’s Cabin), has influenced Chinese translation history and modern writers. Many Chinese Scholars has studied Hei Nu Yu Tian Lu before, but no works are studying the variation of the black image in Hei Nu Yu Tian Lu. This paper explains how the black image varies from the black slave to the Chinese literary slave after translation based on skopos theory.

Highlights

The coherence rule means that the source text can be understood after translated into the target language
We can say that the translator conforms to the recipient and relates the source text to the situation of target language readers
Once the miserable Chinese took this novel and saw the translated title, they could think of such a scene: a black slave without any freedom in shackles knelt on the ground and asked God: Why is our fate so unfair? Are we black slaves born to be slaughtered lambs that have lost freedom? When will we be free? Lin Shu successfully shaped a more miserable black image than one in the source language

Summary

Introduction

Lin Shu, a Chinese litterateur, produced more than 170 Chinese titles, mainly English and French novels. Once the miserable Chinese took this novel and saw the translated title, they could think of such a scene: a black slave without any freedom in shackles knelt on the ground and asked God: Why is our fate so unfair? Lin Shu condensed 8 pages’ content nearly 5000 English words into 87 Chinese characters He employed an omission strategy on purpose to reduce the harmonious scenes between the black and the white in the target text so that the misery of the black image is strengthened in the target text. Intending to cheer up Chinese people, Lin Shu omitted the target text properly to highlight the painful black slave in the translated version. Lin Shu uses free translation, and more encouraging words were created, which encouraged Chinese people to cheer up

Analysis of the Variation of the Black Image Based on Fidelity Rule

Conclusion