功能对等视角下杨宪益英译《红楼梦》中饮食词汇的翻译策略研究

A Study on the Translation Strategies of Dietetic Terms in A Dream of Red Mansions from the Perspective of Functional Equivalence

摘要: 《红楼梦》是中国古典饮食文化的重要载体，书中关于饮食的描写极为丰富，涵盖菜肴、点心、茶酒等内容，反映了清代上层社会的饮食生活及文化内涵。饮食词汇作为文化负载极高的语言单位，其英译尤为困难。本文以杨宪益英译本为研究对象，借助奈达的功能对等理论，从地域、原料、烹饪方式、色彩、口感等维度分类分析其饮食词汇的翻译策略，探讨其译文在语义、文化和读者接受效果三方面是否达到了功能对等的“平衡点”。研究认为，杨译本在保留中国文化特色方面贡献巨大，但在目标语读者接受度与文化传递之间尚存张力，部分译例未能完全实现功能对等。

Abstract: A Dream of Red Mansions serves as a vital repository of traditional Chinese dietary culture. The novel contains an abundance of detailed descriptions related to food, including dishes, pastries, tea, and wine, vividly reflecting the dietary practices and cultural values of the upper class in the Qing dynasty. As highly culture-loaded linguistic units, dietetic terms present significant challenges in translation. This study takes Yang Xianyi’s English version as the primary research object and, guided by Nida’s theory of functional equivalence, analyzes the translation strategies employed for dietetic terms based on their naming characteristics—such as place of origin, ingredients, cooking methods, color, and texture. The study explores whether the translations achieve a “balance point” of functional equivalence in terms of semantics, cultural conveyance, and target reader reception. It is concluded that while Yang’s translation makes great contributions to preserving Chinese cultural characteristics, certain tensions remain between cultural transmission and target reader comprehension, and some translated terms fall short of fully realizing functional equivalence.