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[Abstract]
As the representative of Chinese classical novel, A Dream in Red Mansions recorded the vicissitude of four distinguished families, the lament for twelve girls, and the culture-loaded lantern riddles. With the deepening communication between China and other countries, it is necessary to deliver A Dream in Red Mansions to the world. Given the various differences between the Chinese and English, translators, as the bridge between source authors and target readers, play a vital part in the cultural communication. Based on the book of A Dream in Red Mansions, translated by Yang Xianyi and Gladys B. Tayler, this paper mainly studies the application of Interpretive Theory in translating lantern-riddles. This theory is a strategy applied in interpretation, and its essential principle is communicative equivalence. Then, it is concluded that the Interpretive Theory, which is targeted for interpretation, can also find its place in literary translation, especially the translation of lantern riddles, and both kinds of translations will become more authentic after devocalization. The target language could exactly illustrate the intention and emotion of source authors with the assistance of the Interpretive Theory.
[Keywords] interpretive theory; A Dream in Red Mansions; translation of lantern riddles
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Introduction
The Chinese nation has a long history and glorious culture, which generates the aspiration of several generations of Chinese scholars to translate, edit, and publish the whole corpus of Chinese literary classics so that the nation's greatest cultural achievements can be introduced to people all over the world (Yang, 1999). A Dream of Red Mansions is rich in ideas and concepts. It is a multifaceted world of art into which the more one delves, the more one finds. The charm of this novel lies in its revealing youth fully and truthfully, in its uncovering the zeal, grace and tenderness of the younger generation. Although the era has long since vanished, protagonists and their dreams and longings, sorrow and happiness, unlucky destiny and outstanding talents, still strike a sympathetic chord in the heart of people today. This novel is still a hot topic of conversation among the Chinese people, and criticism and research concerning the fate of the twelve girls that were implied in the lantern riddles or poems has crystallized as a...