Abstract

In the era of globalization, China is trying to make its culture known to the world so as to make it more brilliant. And Tang poetry is the typical example. The Everlasting Regret is a long narrative poem written by Ba Juyi in Tang dynasty. He writes the poem on the basis of the love story between emperor Tang Xuanzong and his consort Lady Yang. As a traditional classic work, it has been translated into several English versions. In this paper, on the grounds of the relevance theory, the versions of Yang Hsien-yi and Xu Yuanchong are chosen as the focus of translation study to make a comparative study. Relevance theory was put forward by Sperber and Wilson in1986. And there are two factors that should be taken into consideration when assessing versions’ degree of relevance according to relevance theory. One is contextual effect, and another is processing effort.  Meanwhile, the paper will also point out some shortcomings of the two versions. Therefore, this paper will not only give us a better understanding of the poem’s English versions, but also enhance the reader’s ability to appreciate the translating versions. 

Key words: The Everlasting Regret; relevance theory; contextual effect; processing effort

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1.Introduction -1

2.Literature Review-3

2.1Relevance Theory-3

2.2Related Researches-5

3.The Comparison of Two English versions of the Everlasting Regret-7

3.1 An Overview of the Poem-7

3.2 A Comparative Study of Two English Versions from the Perspective of Relevance Theory-7

3.1.1A Brief Introduction to Two Translators-7

3.1.2 A Comparative Study of Two English Versions from the Perspective of Relevance Theory-8

4.Conclusion -12

References -13