Cultural translation from Chinese to English : a case study of the problems in the translation and interpretation of selected contemporary texts

The present thesis argues for an "extended (cross-)cultural approach to literary translation". It proposes that socio-cultural elements pertaining to a literary text extend beyond the commonly understood scope and depth of literary translation into the macro-contextual sphere, as they arise before and after, as well as during, the actual translating process. These elements include those in the forms of everyday existence of people and their behaviour, reflected through the common human values and shared knowledge that is always structured as part of a historical system, constantly changing and evolving under the impact of social, political and economic events. To achieve the best result possible, it is also contended that seemingly opposing translation strategies (i.e. alienation / foreignization strategy versus adaptation / domestication strategy) should both be made use of and the orientation and emphasis should vary from case to case according to the purpose of the translation project, the needs of the intended reader, the text-type, stylistic profile, lexical and cultural quality of the item to be translated, and last but not least, the strengths of the translator