博弈论视角下《红楼梦》文化负载词的英译对比研究——以杨、霍译本为例

A Comparative Study of the English Translation of Culture-Loaded Words in The Dream of the Red Chamber from the Perspective of Game Theory—A Case Study of the Yang Xianyi and David Hawkes Versions

摘要: 本文以博弈论为视角，以杨宪益与霍克斯的《红楼梦》英译本为研究对象，分析文化负载词的翻译策略与决策机制。研究运用尤金·奈达的文化分类框架，结合囚徒困境、纳什均衡与帕累托最优等博弈论概念，对生态、语言、宗教、物质、社会五类文化负载词进行对比分析。研究发现，杨译倾向于与原文作者合作，采用直译策略，力求忠实再现文化内涵，但可能增加目标读者的理解难度；霍译则更注重与目标读者合作，采用本土化改写，提升了译文可读性，但难免牺牲部分文化特色。两种译本的策略差异反映出译者在忠实原文与适应读者之间的博弈过程。结论表明，翻译活动是多方利益的协调与权衡，译者应在语言、文化与读者需求之间寻求动态平衡，通过策略性选择实现文化传播效果的最大化，追求接近帕累托最优的理想状态。

Abstract: From the perspective of game theory, this study takes the English translations of The Dream of the Red Chamber by Yang Xianyi and David Hawkes as the research objects, analyzing the translation strategies and decision-making mechanisms of culture-loaded words. Employing Eugene Nida’s cultural classification framework and incorporating game theory concepts such as the Prisoner’s Dilemma, Nash Equilibrium, and Pareto Optimality, this study conducts a comparative analysis of five categories of culture-loaded words: ecological, linguistic, religious, material, and social. The findings reveal that Yang’s translation tends to cooperate with the source text author, adopting literal translation strategies to faithfully reproduce cultural connotations, which may increase the comprehension difficulty for target readers. In contrast, Hawkes’ translation pays more attention to cooperation with target readers, employing domesticated rewriting to enhance readability, though at the cost of partially sacrificing some cultural characteristics. The strategic differences between the two translations reflect the translator’s game-playing process between fidelity to the original and adaptation to the readers. The conclusion indicates that translation is a coordination and trade-off of multiple interests; translators should seek a dynamic balance among language, culture, and readers’ needs, maximizing the effectiveness of cultural communication through strategic choices, and striving for a state close to Pareto Optimality.