A Study on the English Translation of “Folk Voices” in Sandalwood Death from the Perspective of Functional Equivalence Theory -- Taking Howard Goldblatt’s Version as an Example

Abstract

In the context of globalization and the strategy of “Chinese culture going global”, the English translation of Chinese literature is of great significance to promote the spread of Chinese culture. Mo Yan’s Sandalwood Death shows rich regional culture and a unique flavor with its “folk voices”. Under the guidance of Nida’s functional equivalence theory, this study focuses on three types of “folk voices” in Sandalwood Death, including dialect colloquialisms, Xiehouyu (two-part allegorical sayings) and Maoqiang, and systematically evaluates the translation strategies and effects of Howard Goldblatt’s English version at the lexical, syntactic and stylistic levels through text comparison and case analysis. On the whole, the translator achieves functional equivalence at the semantic level through creative translation, feature dilution, semantic supplement and other translation strategies, but has some shortcomings in aesthetic effect. This study not only deepens the understanding of the characteristics of the English translation of Sandalwood Death, but also provides useful inspiration on how to reproduce the “folk voice” in the cross-cultural communication of Chinese literature.