On the Translation of Culture-Loaded Words in My Old Home from the Perspective of Eco-Translatology

Abstract

Based on the theoretical framework of Eco-Translatology, this paper examines the translation strategies adopted by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang in rendering culture-loaded words in Lu Xun's My Old Home into English. Drawing on Nida's taxonomy of culture, the study conducts an in-depth analysis of how the translators achieve a three-dimensional transformation: linguistic, cultural, and communicative through a dynamic process of "adaptation and selection" across four cultural dimensions: ecological, material, social, and linguistic. The findings reveal that the translators employ differentiated strategies for different types of culture-loaded words, successfully preserving the cultural identity of the source text while taking into account the acceptability of target-language readers, thus achieving an effective balance between cultural authenticity and communicative effect. This study not only demonstrates the explanatory power of Eco-Translatology in literary translation research but also offers practical insights for cultural transmission through the translation of Chinese literature.