Evolution of Allan Barr’s translation style in Yu Hua's English translation works
Exploring Allan Barr's style and its evolution is crucial due to its unique and representative significance among sinologists and translators of contemporary Chinese literature. Barr's focused translation of Yu Hua's works and his ongoing interaction with the author make his transl...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
2024
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/123209/1/123209.pdf http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/123209/ https://ethesis.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/18710 |
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| Summary: | Exploring Allan Barr's style and its evolution is crucial due to its unique and
representative significance among sinologists and translators of contemporary
Chinese literature. Barr's focused translation of Yu Hua's works and his
ongoing interaction with the author make his translations key to understanding
the fluidity of a translator's style. However, the unclear scope of translator style
research, limitations in current corpus-based models, and challenges in
selecting and analyzing stylistic markers necessitate further exploration of the
definition, methodology, and theories related to translator style. This study
aimed to (i) identify Barr's translation style by comparing the data of stylistic
markers in the parallel corpus of his translation with the comparable corpora;
(ii) analyse the changes in Barr's stylistic features by comparing each of his
translation diachronically; (iii) evaluate the compatibility of the findings gained
from the corpus-based analysis of the seven stylistic markers, namely STTR,
average sentence length, ratio between English words and Chinese characters,
italics, speech presentation, position of the reporting clause, and speech-act
report verbs; and (iv) explain the social and cognitive factors shaping and
developing Barr's translation style.
This study used mixed methods to build a parallel corpus of Barr's four English
translations of Yu Hua's works, alongside a comparable corpus of Andrew
Jones' translations of two of Yu Hua's works, highlighting Barr’s unique stylistic
choices. A diachronic analysis of Barr's translations was conducted to examine
the evolution of his style. Barr's style was described using both statistical
parameters and case studies for a broad perspective, while qualitative analysis
categorized italicized sections and pragmatic stylistic markers. Numerical and
case analyses revealed Barr's stylistic tendencies in each category, showing
his efforts to clarify the target text and balance fidelity to the source text with
adherence to target language norms. Insights from an interview with Barr and
other extra-textual data provided a social and cognitive understanding of his
stylistic development.
The findings show Barr's dedication to maintaining fidelity to the source text
while prioritizing readability and clarity in the target text. His second translation
demonstrated more interpretive elements, reflecting nuanced decisions. Barr's
early translations displayed creativity and confidence, with later works showing
a more flexible and moderate approach. Although results varied across the
seven stylistic markers, they collectively highlighted Barr's distinct and evolving
style, confirming the revised models' effectiveness in capturing stylistic
changes. The analysis also revealed that Barr's consistent style was influenced by his professional background and research interests, while his
evolving style was shaped by his growing stylistic awareness, ongoing
communication with Yu Hua, and interpretaion of the the source texts and,
target readers. The study recommends using revised models to explore the
consistent and evolving styles of translators over time, aiding researchers in
selecting appropriate stylistic markers for studying translator style. Additionally,
this research provides empirical data on Barr and Yu Hua's styles, laying the
groundwork for future corpus-based stylistic research and translation studies
on contemporary Chinese literature. Researchers are encouraged to continue
examining translators' evolving styles and to engage in critical reflections on
style. |
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