译者行为批评视角下《聊斋志异》文化负载词英译研究——以翟理斯译本为例

A Study on the Translation of Culture-Loaded Words in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio from the Perspective of Translator Behavior Criticism—A Case Study of Herbert Giles’s Translation

摘要: 《聊斋志异》是中国文言短篇小说的巅峰之作，翟理斯英译本在西方影响深远，然而现有研究多聚焦局部问题，缺乏对译者行为动因的系统探讨。本文以译者行为批评理论的“求真–务实”维度为框架，以翟理斯《聊斋志异》英译本为对象，通过具体文化负载词译例，分析译者在忠实原文与适配目标语读者之间的策略与取舍。研究发现，翟理斯在翻译中通过直译、改写、增补或删减等策略，实现了“求真”与“务实”的动态平衡，既保留原文的核心文化信息，又提升译文的可读性。该研究弥补了现有文献在译者行为研究上的不足，为中国古典文学英译研究提供了新视角，也深化了对中西文学交流中翻译与文化互动机制的理解。

Abstract: Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio is a pinnacle of classical Chinese short stories written in literary Chinese. Herbert Giles’ English translation has exerted a profound influence in the West. However, existing studies mostly focus on partial issues and lack a systematic exploration of the motivations behind the translator’s behavior. Taking the “truth-seeking-pragmatism” dimension of the Translator Behavior Criticism theory as the framework, this paper examines Giles’ English translation of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. Through specific examples of translated culture-loaded words, it analyzes the strategies and trade-offs Giles made between being faithful to the original text and adapting to target-language readers. The study finds that Giles achieved a dynamic balance between “truth-seeking” and “pragmatism” through strategies such as literal translation, adaptation, addition, and omission. This not only preserved the core cultural information of the original text but also enhanced the readability of the translation. The research fills the gap in existing literature regarding the study of translator behavior, provides a new perspective for the research on the English translation of classical Chinese literature, and deepens the understanding of the interactive mechanism between translation and culture in Sino-Western literary exchanges.