The English Translation Strategies of Culture-Loaded Words in The Three-Body Problem from the Perspective of Eco-translatology

Abstract

This study takes eco-translatology as the theoretical basis. It examines how Ken Liu deals with words with cultural connotations in the English translation of Three-Body Problem from the three dimensions of language, culture and communication. The study focuses on the analysis of five categories of vocabulary, namely, ecology, society, religion, language and material. The results show that Ken Liu flexibly adjusts his translation strategies according to the specific context. Specifically, when dealing with ecological terms, he mostly uses transliteration, focusing mainly on the linguistic dimension; for social terms, he strives to achieve a balance between the three dimensions by means of transliteration or literal translation with annotation; when dealing with religious and linguistic terms, he usually resorts to domestication or free translation, giving priority to the communicative dimension; when introducing material terms, he facilitates the coordination between the three dimensions through transliteration and interpretation. Ken Liu’s flexible choices in the three dimensions help the translation achieve ecological balance in English science fiction literature and provide practical insights for the translation of culture-loaded words in the global promotion of Chinese literature.