Do you read what I read? A message-oriented approach to translating science fiction : a case study of Terminus

• Main Author: Wang, Zhaoyu
• Other Authors: Wang Shengyu
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Humanities::Language
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/78894
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The reading of science fiction is very subjective. To some people, reading sci-fi novel is for aesthetic and recreational purposes; while to some others, sci-fi serves as a cultural reflection of the actuality that provokes the readers into critical and active thinking, discourse and debate of the real-life issues. As probably the most faithful reader of the ST, the translator’s perception of the text influences his or her translation decisions, and ultimately exerts a major impact on the reader’s reception and response to the TT. Set out from an empirical study that examines the complete translation process of the sci-fi novella “Terminus”, this dissertation seeks to identify an effective approach that incorporates the essential components for consideration, both intra-textual and extra-textual, in the translation of literary genres. Inspired by Jin’s fourfold artistic integrity approach, a three-phase approach consisting of reading, presenting and revisiting was hereby implemented in the translation of “Terminus” and reviewed in the follow-up textual analysis. By closely reviewing the data collected during the phase of reading, it is suggested that message, which comprises informative and aesthetic functions, should be the focus of literary translation, given the dynamic nature of the literary genre. Practically, the formation of TT does not simply refer to an aggregation of techniques, but a well-thought-out process that centers on messages while taking into consideration the acceptability of the receiving end. The renewed message-oriented approach to translating science fiction provided here may be able to shed some light on the development of translation methods for similar genres.