A Comparative Study of Gender Language Differences in Two Translation Versions of To the Lighthouse from the Perspective of Feminist Translation

Abstract

To the Lighthouse is a modernist literary classic by Virginia Woolf that integrates feminist ideology and stream-of-consciousness narrative. This study, taking Qu Shijing and Ma Ainong's translations as examples, explores how the three major feminist translation strategies are reflected in the Gender Language Differences of different translators from the perspective of feminist translation theory. The research finds that translators of different genders employ different translation strategies to achieve their translation goals. Female translators are more inclined to actively intervene in the text content and use strategies such as “hijacking” and “supplementation” to realize the characteristics of female discourse and construct female discourse power. However, male translators often favor faithful expressions. By preserving the grammatical structure of the original text, selecting neutral terms, or diminishing gender-related metaphors, they bring the translated text closer to conventional literary standards. Their intervention strategies tend to be more implicit and restrained. The research provides an empirical case from a transgender perspective for the study of feminist literary translation, highlighting that translation is not only a language conversion but also a field where gender concepts collide.