A STUDY OF ZHU ZHEN-WU'S CHINESE TRANSLATION OF ROBERT VAN GULIK'S THE EMPEROR'S PERAL

• Main Authors: Chen, Tsui-ching, 陳翠琴
• Other Authors: 賴慈芸
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2004
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/13731192022354983912

碩士 === 輔仁大學 === 翻譯學研究所在職專班 === 93 === 　　Robert van Gulik (1910-1967) was a Dutch diplomat and Sinologist. He was inspired by a Ching Dynasty (1644-1911) Chinese detective novel and rewrote it as a series of English mystery novels –Judge Dee Mysteries –in the 1950’s and 60’s. The Judge Dee Mysteries were later translated into Chinese by the following professors of the Foreign Language Institute of the Shanghai University: Ji Zhendong, Kang Meijun, Zhu Zhenwu, Yin Yongqing, Chen Haidong, Shen Xia, Jing Yiqing, Liang Su, and Wang Renfang, etc. in the last few years. 　　The changes in the presentational format of the Judge Dee Mysteries are unique in many aspects. In terms of language, the stories were first originated from a Chinese detective novel written more than one hundred years ago and then translated back into Chinese in the 21st century. In terms of time and cultural background, they moved from the fictional years of the 7th - 10th century (Tang Dynasty) to the present and then returned to the ancient times again. Will the exoticism, which amazes the Westerners, still attracts modern Chinese readers? Which kind of writing style do modern Chinese readers appreciate? Will they be intrigued by the elaborated translation produced by the translator? These are challenging and interesting questions needed to be addressed. 　　This present study is aimed at examining the translation of one of the stories, The Emperor’s Pearl’. The focus of this study is to look into the degree to which the writer employs the writing style of another age and also to find out which kind of writing style (classic, modern or something in-between) might be suitable for this kind of texts. This study thus considers the need for the translator to make changes to the original context or to apply Chinese idioms or proverbs in order to please modern readers. This study also includes the study of other possible alternatives for translating Robert van Gulik’s Judge Dee Mysteries. 　　Key words: translation, Robert van Gulik, Judge Dee 　　　　　　　　　　　Mysteries, detective novel, mystery novel, 　　　　　　　　　　history, writing style, exoticism