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  4. Vol 8, Issue 5, 2025

The English Translation Studies of Yuan Zaju: History, Hotspots and Prospects

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DOI: 10.23977/langl.2025.080505 | Downloads: 2 | Views: 43

Author(s)

Dong Wang 1, Guangtao Cao 2, Wanqing Pan 2

Affiliation(s)

1 English Department, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong, 528000, China
2 School of International Studies, Guangdong University of Education, Guangzhou, 510303, China

Corresponding Author

Dong Wang

ABSTRACT

Yuan Zaju is an outstanding traditional Chinese theatrical art and a comprehensive carrier demonstrating the connotation and charm of Chinese culture. The translation practice and related studies of Yuan Zaju at home and abroad began at the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century, featuring taking famous works as the entry point, centering on major sinologists, and becoming increasingly comprehensive in research. In recent years, with the prevalence of comparative literature, cross-cultural communication trends and the cultural turn in translation studies, comparative studies on the English translation of Yuan Zaju have gradually emerged, and studies on the performability of drama translations have increased. However, on the whole, the translation theory and norms for the English translation of Yuan Zaju have not been established, and the translation strategies and methods have not yet formed a system. Two difficult problems, namely the selection of Yuan Zaju editions and the processing of discourse language, pose challenges to the English translation of Yuan Zaju. The phenomena of omission, mistranslation, adaptation and reduction in existing translations need to be carefully examined and analyzed with new concepts. Classic plays need to be newly translated and retranslated in a timely manner to construct a new ecology for the English translation of Yuan Zaju.

KEYWORDS

Yuan Zaju; Drama Translation; Cultural Communication

CITE THIS PAPER

Dong Wang, Guangtao Cao, Wanqing Pan, The English Translation Studies of Yuan Zaju: History, Hotspots and Prospects. Lecture Notes on Language and Literature (2025) Vol. 8: 26-33. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/langl.2025.080505.

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