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Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, 2023, 6(18); doi: 10.25236/AJHSS.2023.061820.

The Applicability of “CEA” Framework and Skopos Theory in English-Chinese Translation —— Take The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing (Excerpts) as an Example

Author(s)

Li Siyu1, Li Songyang2

Corresponding Author:
Li Siyu
Affiliation(s)

1School of Foreign Languages, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming, China

2School of Accounting and Business Administration, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming, China

Abstract

Creative writing evolved in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century had been widely expanded throughout a century of history. However, the development of the localized practice of creative writing in domestic universities is restricted due to the short introduction time. Herein, an excerpt from The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing is discussed in a practical translation, is designed to provide creative advice and strategies for the creators of novel to boost the selling of their work. The translator has selected cases from “plot and structure” in the book. Through the translation of the source text, the translator’s aim is to provide high-quality assistance to Chinese authors who write novels. By stimulating authors’ interest in reading and cultivating their enthusiasm for creative writing, not only quality reference material for readers but also the development of creative writing in China can be improved. By targeting the purpose of the translation and the characteristics of the source text, Skopos Theory as the guiding theory and “Comprehension, Expression, and Adaptation (CEA)” as the working framework for translation practice are adopted. In this work, the translation strategy of domestication as the main focus and foreignization as the supplementary one to deal with the source text are applied. The translator considered the differences between the English and Chinese languages and used literal translation and liberal translation at the linguistic level. Besides, the combination of translation techniques such as addition together with division is used to maintain a high degree of consistency between the translation and the source text, resulting in the target text with high readability. The translator completed the translation practice with accuracy and fluency through consulting a large number of monographs and literature, which in turn confirms the applicability of Skopos theory and “CEA” framework in the translation.

Keywords

CEA Framework, Skopos Theory, Translating Experience

Cite This Paper

Li Siyu, Li Songyang. The Applicability of “CEA” Framework and Skopos Theory in English-Chinese Translation —— Take The Complete Handbook of Novel Writing (Excerpts) as an Example. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (2023) Vol. 6, Issue 18: 119-126. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2023.061820.

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