Prose rhythm in the translation of Jin Yong

• Main Author: Teo, Kai Xin
• Other Authors: Lin Tzer Liang Benedict Christopher
• Format: Thesis-Master by Coursework
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Humanities::Language
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/149443
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Jin Yong’s prose is undoubtedly rhythmic; the words of The Legend of Condor Hero, for instance, dance along as it is read out in the audiobook. Yet, insufficient attention has been given to the intricacies of his language and the techniques he used to create rhythmicity (Li, 2007). Through developing frameworks for the analysis of rhythmicity, this study sought to determine how translators seeking to recreate the rhythmicity of his work can do so when rendering his novels in English. Two frameworks were used to analyse rhythmicity in selected excerpts from The Legend of the Condor Hero, and Holmwood and Chang’s translations of the first eighteen chapters of the novel (Jin, 2018; Jin, 2019). Though the target text was deemed to be rhythmic, more techniques could have been tapped upon. Given the usefulness of deconstructing Jin Yong’s language, it was suggested that more in-depth linguistic deconstruction of his prose be done going forward (Li, 2007).