功能对等理论视角下《平凡的世界》劳动动作动词英译研究

A Study on the English Translation of Labor Action Verbs in The Ordinary World from the Perspective of Functional Equivalence Theory

摘要: 劳动动作动词是《平凡的世界》构建陕北乡土劳动场景、塑造劳动者形象的核心语言载体，其翻译直接影响乡土文化与人物精神的跨语传递。现有英译研究多聚焦习语、隐喻及文化负载词，针对劳动动作动词的系统性研究仍较为薄弱。本文以奈达功能对等理论为指导，从语义、语用、文化、审美四个维度，将本文劳动动作动词划分为农事劳作、搬运负重、工地劳作、手工技艺四类，通过对等直译与功能对等优化译文，剖析字面直译导致的语义偏差与审美失真等问题，并提出语义精细化甄别、场景动态适配、句式节奏重构、文化语境补偿等英译策略。研究表明，功能对等理论能还原陕北乡土劳作动作特征，实现目标读者与源语读者的等效阅读体验。本研究可为乡土文学劳动类词汇英译提供参考，助力中国乡土文学与劳动文化对外传播。

Abstract: Labor action verbs serve as the core linguistic vehicle for The Ordinary World to construct the rural labor scenes of northern Shaanxi and shape laborer figures. Their translation directly affects the cross-linguistic transmission of local culture and the spiritual essence of characters. Existing English translation studies mostly focus on idioms, metaphors and culture-loaded words, while systematic research on labor action verbs remains relatively insufficient. Guided by Nida’s functional equivalence theory, this study categorizes labor action verbs into four types: farm work, load-carrying, construction-site labor and manual craftsmanship, from the four dimensions of semantics, pragmatics, culture and aesthetics. By comparing literal translations and optimized versions guided by functional equivalence, it analyzes problems such as semantic deviation and aesthetic distortion caused by word-for-word rendering, and proposes English translation strategies including refined semantic identification, dynamic contextual adaptation, reconstruction of syntactic rhythm, and cultural contextual compensation. The research demonstrates that functional equivalence theory can restore the characteristics of rural labor movements in northern Shaanxi and achieve equivalent reading experience for target readers and source-language readers. This study may offer references for the English translation of labor-related vocabulary in rural literature and facilitate the international dissemination of Chinese rural literature and labor culture.