Study on the Translation of Culture-loaded Words in The File No.113

Abstract

All nations in the world have generated many culture-loaded words full of cultural origin and emotional attachment in the evolution of social life. Due to the huge differences between Chinese and Western cultures, it is difficult for translators to find the equivalent expression when translating culture-loaded words. Chen Hongbi is an outstanding female translator in modern times, and her translation of the English detective novel Le Dossier No.113 was very popular in the late Qing Dynasty. From the perspective of eco-translatology, this study takes Chen Hongbi's The File No.113(《第一百十三案》) as an example and analyzes the translation of culture-loaded words in the text. In the late Qing Dynasty, the social demand for female intellectuals, the academic demand for detective novels and the interest demand of publishing houses formed a sound ecological environment for Chen's translation of foreign detective novels. Chen adapted himself to this ecological environment with his translation ability and love for detective novels, thus choosing to translate Le Dossier No.113. In the process of translation, Chen reaches the adaptation and transformation of culture-loaded words from three dimensions linguistic dimension, cultural dimension and communicative dimension. This study describes how Chen Hongbi accurately conveys the meaning of culture-loaded words to the target readers based on the ecological environment of translation through the mechanism of "selection" and "adaptation", which is helpful to understand and explain the choices made by the translators in order to realize the communicative intention and adapt to the context of the late Qing Dynasty. By analyzing Chen's successful translation of the detective novel, this study hopes to make readers realize the value of her translation as well as her adaptation and selection in translation so as to provide references for future translators to consider deep adaptation and selection when translating culture-loaded words.