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4 Conclusion 16
References 18
Translation of the Night’s Watch Oath in A Song of Ice and Fire -- Analysis from the Perspective of Aesthetic Translation
1 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Research
A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels written by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. The first volume of the series, A Game of Thrones, was begun in 1991 and first published in 1996. Martin, who initially envisioned the series to be a trilogy, has published five out of a planned seven volumes. The fifth and most recent volume of the series was published in 2011, A Dance with Dragons, which took Martin five years to write. The sixth novel, The Winds of Winter, is still being written.
A Song of Ice and Fire takes place on the fictional continents Westeros and Essos. The view of each chapter in the story is a limited perspective of a range of characters growing from nine, in the first novel, to thirty-one by the fifth. Three main stories interweave a dynastic war among several families in control of Westeros, the rising threat of the supernatural Others in the northernmost reaches of Westeros, and the ambition of Daenerys Targaryen, the deposed king's exiled daughter, to assume the Iron Throne. Martin's inspirations included Wars of the Roses and the French historical novels The Accursed Kings written by Maurice Druon. A Song of Ice and Fire received praise for its perse portrayal of women and religion, as well as its realism. An assortment of disparate and subjective point of view confronted the reader, and the success or survival of the characters is never assured. Within the often morally ambiguous world of A Song of Ice and Fire, questions concerning loyalty, pride, human sexuality, piety, and the morality of violence frequently arise.
In April 2015, the book has sold more than 60 million copies worldwide and has been translated into at least 45 languages. The fourth and fifth volumes reached the top of The New York Times Best Seller lists upon their releases. Among the many derived works are several prequel novellas, a TV series, a comic book adaptation, and several cards, board and video games.
The TV drama A Game of Thrones was produced in January, 2007 directed by David Benioff and Daniel Weiss, and later it was broadcasted in the Internet and many people were attracted by the wonderful plot and characters’ performance. What’s more, the translation of the Night’s Watch oath in A Song of Ice and Fire also became popular among Chinese audience because of its beautiful versions. Certainly, this writer is one of these who are interested in the English and Chinese oath. Also, as a translation student, the author prefers that the writer uses his knowledge to analyze versions of the Night’s Watch oath and appreciates its beauty.
The Night Watch oath has been translated into many different versions on the Internet, and they are also published to meet the public’s demands. The traditional Chinese version and the simplified Chinese version are common. It seems that different versions have their own merits. However, the perspective of aesthetics translation can provide instructive insights for translating literature from one language to another.
1.2 Significance of the Research
By conducting this research, people can get the beauty of the literature A Game of Thrones on the one side, and appreciate the beauty of English and Chinese language. To some degree, this paper can also offers some suggestions and translation skills to English study during their learning process.
The theory of aesthetics translation is one branch of translation, and it has achieved a significant success. Based on this theory and the different cultures fusion, this paper can offer some help to people in understanding literatures.