Reconstructing Lotus Huang: An Examination of Translation in Legends of Condor Heroes

Abstract

This study adopts the theoretical framework of imagologie to analyze the text of Legends of the Condor Heroes, focusing on aspects like appellation, action, dialogue, and psychological activities to explore the multifaceted process of reshaping the image of the female protagonist, Lotus Huang. Incorporating external feedback from target readers, the study also investigates the reception of Lotus Huang and identifies external factors influencing the image reshaping. The findings reveal that translators skillfully use techniques like amplification and omission to successfully reconstruct Huang as a spirited, principled, daring, and intelligent female knight-errant. However, variations are observed in certain features, such as her devotion to Guo Jing, which seem to be influenced by translators’ opinions on female characters and modern readers’ preferences. Despite these variations, the study highlights the positive reception of Lotus Huang among the target readers, indicating the successful dissemination effects.