Applying Systemic Functional Linguistics To Chinese Poetry Translation

The Art of Chinese Poetry Translation

Chinese poetry has a rich history dating back thousands of years, and it holds a significant place in Chinese culture. Translating Chinese poetry into other languages is a challenging task due to its unique structure, cultural references, and linguistic nuances. Each character in Chinese carries not only its own meaning but also its sound, tone, and rhythm, making it a complex art form to replicate in a different language.

Applying Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) to Chinese poetry translation offers a new approach to preserving the essence and musicality of these ancient poems, while also providing a clearer understanding of the poet's original intention.

Understanding Systemic Functional Linguistics

Systemic Functional Linguistics, developed by Michael Halliday, emphasizes the interdependence of language and social context, examining how language functions in different situations. It focuses on the choices made in constructing meaning and emphasizes the role of grammar and lexicon in achieving communicative intentions.

Translating Tagore's Stray Birds into Chinese: Applying Systemic Functional Linguistics to Chinese Poetry Translation (Routledge Studies in Chinese Translation)

by T. Gregory Argall(1st Edition, Kindle Edition)

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	6552 KB
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Print length	:	194 pages
Paperback	:	140 pages
Item Weight	:	9.4 ounces
Dimensions	:	6 x 0.32 x 9 inches
Hardcover	:	30 pages
X-Ray for textbooks	:	Enabled

FREE

When applied to Chinese poetry, SFL can help analyze the structural and functional aspects of the poems, including the use of metaphors, symbolism, and various rhetorical devices. By understanding these linguistic choices, translators can create more accurate and effective translations that capture the poetic essence and preserve the cultural significance of the original work.

Breaking Down Chinese Poetry

Chinese poetry is characterized by its concise yet profound nature. Poets often employ techniques such as parallelism, alliteration, and repetition to evoke specific emotions or create vivid imagery. Understanding the underlying grammatical structures, the tonal patterns, and the interplay of words is crucial in conveying the intended meaning.

Using SFL, translators can examine the semantic patterns, syntactic structures, and register choices employed in the original traditional Chinese poems. By understanding the system of choices made by the poet, translators can better recreate the same effects in the target language.

For example, the use of metaphor in Chinese poetry often relies on specific linguistic features that carry layers of meaning. By analyzing the choices made by the poet, translators can identify and adapt these metaphors into the target language more accurately, capturing the essence of the original poem.

Preserving Cultural Significance

Chinese poetry reflects the cultural values, historical events, and societal norms of ancient China. It serves as a window into the past, offering insights into the thoughts and emotions of the Chinese people throughout history. Preserving this cultural significance in translation is crucial to ensure the essence and impact of the original work are not lost.

SFL provides a framework for capturing the cultural and contextual features of Chinese poetry. By examining the linguistic choices made by the poet, translators can uncover the cultural references, allusions, and historical elements present in the original work. This enables them to convey the same cultural richness in the translated version.

Applying Systemic Functional Linguistics to Chinese poetry translation allows for a more accurate and culturally sensitive approach to preserving the essence of these ancient poems. By understanding the choices made by the poet and analyzing the structural and functional aspects of the original work, translations can capture the musicality, depth, and cultural significance of Chinese poetry, making it accessible to a wider audience.

Through this innovative approach, the beauty and power of Chinese poetry can be shared with the world, fostering cross-cultural understanding and appreciation of this ancient art form.

Translating Tagore's Stray Birds into Chinese: Applying Systemic Functional Linguistics to Chinese Poetry Translation (Routledge Studies in Chinese Translation)

by T. Gregory Argall(1st Edition, Kindle Edition)

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	6552 KB
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Print length	:	194 pages
Paperback	:	140 pages
Item Weight	:	9.4 ounces
Dimensions	:	6 x 0.32 x 9 inches
Hardcover	:	30 pages
X-Ray for textbooks	:	Enabled

FREE

Translating Tagore’s ‘Stray Birds’ into Chinese explores the choices in poetry translation in light of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and illustrates the ways in which readers can achieve a deeper understanding of translated works in English and Chinese.

Focusing on Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Stray Birds’, a collection of elegant and philosophical poems, as a source text, Ma and Wang analyse four Chinese target texts by Zheng Zhenduo, Yao Hua, Lu Jinde and Feng Tang and consider their linguistic complexities through SFL. This book analyses the source text and the target texts from the perspectives of the four strata of language, including graphology, phonology, lexicogrammar and context.

Ideal for researchers and academics of SFL, Translation Studies, Linguistics, and Discourse Analysis, Translating Tagore’s ‘Stray Birds’ into Chinese provides an in-depth exploration of SFL and its emerging prominence in the field of Translation Studies.