Revisiting Color Term Translation in Xu Yuanchong’s English Rendition of Song Ci Poetry

Abstract

Song Ci, a quintessential Chinese cultural form, features color terms rich in connotations and emotions, posing significant translation challenges. Xu Yuanchong’s renditions are widely acclaimed for retaining the original’s essence while catering to target language readers (hereinafter TL readers), fully showcasing their aesthetic value. However, research on the translation of color terms in the field remains relatively scarce. Thus, this study focuses on horizon of expectation, indeterminacy of the text, and aesthetic distance. It employs Reception Aesthetics as its theoretical framework to qualitatively analyze color term translations in Xu’s works, using descriptive, interpretive, and comparative methods. The findings reveal that, under the guidance of Reception Aesthetics, the translator should understand the TL readers’ horizons of expectation, balance between filling in and retaining indeterminacy of the text, and consider an appropriate aesthetic distance. These three aspects collectively achieve a reader-centered translation goal, enhancing the TL readers’ understanding and maximizing the literary value of Song Ci. This study aims to deepen the understanding of color term translation in Song Ci, providing valuable insights for translators and contributing to the translation and dissemination of other Chinese classical poetry.