Translation of Swear Words in Taiwan Literature:A Case Study on the Japanese Translation of The Butcher's Wife by Li Ang

• Main Authors: SATO, WAKAKO, 佐藤和可子
• Other Authors: Lai,Chen-nan
• Format: Others
• Published: 2019
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/32m689

碩士 === 輔仁大學 === 跨文化研究所翻譯學碩士班 === 106 === Swear words are closely related to taboos in their culture and for people with different cultural backgrounds, they are a linguistic phenomenon difficult to understand. Swear words include anti-social terms and are thus considered obscene and repulsive. Eventually, they became a marginalized and neglected field in linguistic studies. However, it is imperative that translators are fully aware of the meaning of swear words in the culture of the source language as well as their underlying taboos. Failing to consider the above factors when translating them into the target language may cause confusion or misunderstanding. This study analyzes the translator’s approach on translating swear words in Taiwan literature from the source into the target language through a case study on The Butcher’s Wife by Li Ang. First, before text analysis, the author explores prior research on swear words in Japan, China and Taiwan. Then, the author selects swear words from the text based on past research results for further analysis on how the translator translates swear words. The Butcher’s Wife is a fiction by Taiwanese author of modern literature Li Ang. The novella sparked controversy in Taiwan’s literary circles upon publication due to its substantial depiction on sex and violence. However, the fiction was well received overseas, which led Taiwan’s literary world to rediscover and recognize its literary value. The translator, professor Fujii Shozo, is a renowned Japanese scholar of Chinese literature. He also studies Taiwan literature and translated many Taiwan novels, dedicating himself in promoting the status of Taiwan literature in Japan. Fujii supports the foreignization approach proposed by Lawrence Venuti. Yet, in the process of analyzing the Japanese translation, the author discovers that, in translation practice, Fujii applied strategies that are inconsistent with his translation views. Therefore, the author sets out to explore the subtle yet significant details that translators should take note when translating swear words in Taiwan literature from Taiwanese into Japanese.