The Inevitability and Roots of Variation in Literature Translation ——from the English Version of Xue Tao’s Poetry by Genevieve Wimsatt

DOI: 10.5176/2251-3566_L316.5

Authors: Jie Lu

Abstract: Through analyzing Genevieve Wimsatt’s translation of Xue Tao’s poetry from Chinese to English, the roots for variation in literature translation can be traced to translator’s aesthetic preference, interpretation of the original text, consideration for recipients, competence to deal with cultural gap, confusion about linguistic differences, transplantation of original culture and even mistranslation out of negligence. The research on the inevitability and roots of variation in literature translation casts light on the issues of blockage, misreading, and distortion occurring in the process of cultural dissemination in cross-language context.

Keywords: Xue Tao’s Poetry; Variation; literature translation; Genevieve Wimsatt