Translanguaging and source-oriented lexical creativity in the English Translation of Chinese science fiction Sān Tǐ

Abstract

The English translation of Chinese science fiction Sān Tǐ by Liu Cixin has achieved notable acclaim among English-speaking readers. The translator Ken Liu expressed his commitment to retaining the “rhythms and cadences” of the original Chinese, a task that often requires creative solutions to navigating the linguistic boundaries typically present between Chinese and English. It also raises intriguing questions about the reception of such translational choices in the Anglophone world, where translations are often expected to adhere to the norms of fluent and standard English. This thesis focuses on the creative lexical choices made by the translator which are featured by their rareness in the TL and driven by the inherent features of the SL. Translanguaging provides a framework for studying the translator’s employment of creative words as a bridge between the SL and TL, strengthening fidelity to the original work while expanding the way of expression in TL. The study reveals that source-oriented lexical innovations are comprised of three types: creative rendering of culture-loaded terms, science fiction neologisms, and the inventive use of nonce words. Seen from the above findings, the strategic use of translanguaging by Ken Liu is revealed, which includes the preservation of pronunciation accuracy through phonetic transliteration, creative hybridization, and the utilization of non-textual semiotics, etc. Moreover, the study carries out an investigation on the accessibility of translanguaged creations to English-speaking readers, unveiling such measures as semantic footnotes, context-based scaffoldings, and the use of semantically transparent terms to strengthen understanding and engagement.