Norms of translating fiction from English into Chinese (1979-2009) : the case of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations

This study investigates the norms in the translation of fiction from English into Chinese in the period 1979 to 2009 by considering five Chinese translations of Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations produced by Wang Keyi (1979), Luo Zhiye (1994), Chen Junqun (1997), Zhu Wan and Ye Zun (2004) and Jin Changwei (2009). In addition, and in order to give proper weighting to para-textual elements, three adaptations for younger readers form the second part of the main analysis: those produced by Liu Lianqing and Zhang Zaiming (1980), Huang Qingyun (1990) and Wang Bei (2004). An examination of Chinese versions of Great Expectations (first published in 1861) is worthwhile for three reasons: 1.) it was the first novel by Dickens to appear in print after the Cultural Revolution which had not been published before in Chinese; 2.) it held a special meaning for Chinese readers due to its deep cultural resonance, especially in China after 1976; 3.) since the translations of the novel have hitherto not been examined by scholars in the field of Translation Studies, it offers an ideal opportunity to consider Gideon Toury’s norm theory within a non-European cultural context. There is a particular focus in this study on norms in the linguistic aspect of the eye-dialect words, malapropisms, sociolects, idiolects, slang, and cultural references; translation strategies form a key part of the main analysis; para-textual elements will provide additional evidence. The conclusion argues for an expansion of Toury’s original model to include greater emphasis on the extra-linguistic, historical and sociological context. Building on the work of other leading TS scholars, it is argued that a ‘hybrid Toury model’, including multi-level norm analysis, is necessary for any consideration of the complexities of a Chinese case study