A study on annotations in the Russian translation of Mo Yan's novel “Big breasts and wide hips” from the perspective of translation adaptation theory

Aim. To analyze the underlying reasons why a translator adds so many annotations, and to provide a comprehensive understanding of the importance of translation adaptation from the perspective of equivalence at levels of speech organization, culture, pragmatics and aesthetics in the target text, using the example of annotations in the Russian translation of the novel “Big Breasts and Wide Hips”.
Methodology. The article analyzes the reception and distribution of Chinese writer Mo Yan's novel “Big Breasts and Wide Hips” in Russia. The adaptation is classified, and the translator's motivation is fully analyzed in order to study the influence of translation adaptation at the levels of speech organization, culture, pragmatics and aesthetics in the target text. The main methods used in the study are descriptive method and inductive method.
Results. The notes in the translation of the novel “Big Breasts and Wide Hips” use four types of translation adaptation: 1) adaptation to the speech organization of the target text; 2) cultural adaptation; 3) pragmatic adaptation; 4) aesthetic adaptation. Adaptation to the speech organization of the text can explain the unique linguistic phenomena of the Chinese language and achieve coherence in the translated text. By using cultural adaptation, translators can add to the knowledge of Chinese cultural background. Pragmatic adaptation is used to achieve pragmatic equivalence. Using aesthetic adaptation helps Russian readers understand and accept Chinese images. Translation adaptation plays an important role in improving the quality of literary translations. In the translation process, translators need to pay more attention to translational adaptation to promote reception of Russian translated text.
Research implications. The successful reception in Russia of the translation of Mo Yan's novel “Big Breasts and Wide Hips” makes it possible to summarize experience of translating Chinese texts. Studying these notes from the perspective of translation adaptation theory has an important reference value and significance for analyzing the reception of translation, and the results of the study contribute to improving the quality of literary translation.

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