By comparing words, phrases and sentences in the Chinese and English version, this paper will figure out the relationships between the surface form and the deeper meanings and the textual function and the practical effects。 Therefore, it could summarize several important suggestions on solving the problems in translation practices。 Moreover, from the perspective of explicitation translation, what can be figured out is that the reasons of the translation strategies the translator chooses will provide useful advice to other translators when confronted with similar situations。
This paper will mainly employ three research methods to decode Ken Liu’s translation: documentary research method, case study and overall analysis。 First, it is necessary to search the Internet as well as library to collect professional books and journals relevant with the explicit translation of science fictions and book reviews on Folding Beijing。 These materials can help to form a clear and deep understanding of Chinese-English science fiction translation and the systematic theories about explicitation in translation—a general knowledge of the definition, origin, feature, type, function and development of explicitation。 Another important procedure is to read both the Chinese and English versions of Folding Beijing carefully and pay special attention to the explicitations in the English version。 It is necessary to find out the major cases of explicitation in the text, classify them into several categories and analyze them respectively。 The translating strategies of this science fiction can be summarized after collecting the required knowledge of explicitation translation and comparing the two versions。 And the additional information and aesthetic values implied in the English version by the translator could also be found out。
2。 Literature Review
2。1 The Definition of Science Fiction
Science fiction is a most misunderstood and confusing concept in the world literature genres because it seems not to have a clear separation from some relevant genres like fantasy, speculative fiction and horror。 Over the years, writers, editors, critics and even readers have offered various definitions。 文献综述
The name of science fiction itself has gone through several phases of evolution。 At first “science fiction” was privately used by Robert A。 Heinlein in his correspondence in 1948 and then publicly used by Forrest J。 Ackerman at UCLA in 1954。 After that, science fiction gradually came into a popular culture, giving rise to relevant researches and studies。 According to American science fiction master Isaac Asimov, modern science fiction is the only form from literature that consistently considers the nature of the changes that face us, the possible consequences and the possible solutions。 The definition given by Wikipedia goes as that “science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi with varying punctuation and capitalization) is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science and technology。”
Although definitions of science fiction have subtle pergences, there are some common natures of science fiction that cannot be denied。 Firstly, science fiction is a kind of narrative writing composed of setting, character, theme, plot, style and action。 Secondly science fiction is created on the basis of the contemporary science and technology。 It should take science as the grounding of its imaginative or fanciful thinking。
2。2 Previous Researches on Science Fiction Translation
2。2。1 Domestic Researches on the Science Fiction Translation
As a relatively peripheral genre, science fiction has received limited attention in China。 In the late Qing and early Republic periods, science-fiction translation once occupied a prominent position within translation literature because it was regarded as a tool to spread scientific knowledge to stimulate people’s intelligence echoing the contemporary historical and social situation。 Great Chinese writers like Lu Xun, Lao She and Mao Dun either translated foreign science-fictions into Chinese or wrote science-fiction themselves。 Science fiction during that period was mainly researched from two perspectives: comparative literature study and translation study。 浅析文化视角下的显性翻译《北京折叠》英译为例(5):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_185593.html