A Study on the Translation of Ball Lightning from the Perspective of Eco-Translatology

Abstract

As a renowned contemporary hard science fiction novelist from China, Liu Cixin has secured his standing in the global literature scene by winning the Best Novel Award at the 73rd Hugo Awards for The Three-Body Problem. This historical triumph marked an unprecedented event for Chinese and Asian scientific authors.

Following this achievement, many translation scholars buried themselves in the English translation of Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem through various translation theories, such as Skopos Theory and Relevance Theory. However, limited scholars’ attention has been dedicated to another famous work of Liu’s, Ball Lightning, nor the translation process of this novel.

To fill this gap in the field of translation studies, this research focuses on the translation of Ball Lightning, particularly the English translation by Joel Martinsen. This study aims to reveal some hard science characteristics and methods of Joel’s translation through some case studies. Firstly, it will examine the translation ecological environment of Ball Lightning from the source and target language. Further, the study will analyse Joel Martinsen’s adaptation strategies within the framework of eco-translatology, evaluating the translator’s proficiency. Finally, this research will assess the translation of Ball Lightning from three perspectives: the linguistic, the cultural, and the communicative aspects. The concluding part of this thesis offers a detailed critique of Ball Lightning through eco-translatology, specifically focusing on its principles of adaptation and selection.