关键词: 感性叙事; 感官体验; 《私人生活》英译本; 中国当代小说外译

Abstract:

The intrinsic connection between sensual narratives and artistic resonance lies in sensory perception. Grounded in sensory experiences such as vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, narrative construction relies heavily on vivid descriptions of these modalities. To translate the emotionally compelling force of a text effectively, it is crucial to reconstruct sensory experiences in the target language to enable readers or audiences to empathize with the characters’ emotions and experiences. The English translation of Chen Ran’s feminist novel, A Private Life, is examined in this study by analyzing how sensory narratives are rendered cross-linguistically and cross-culturally. Concrete examples are used to investigate the strategies that were employed to convey the sensory dimensions of the original text, and the methods for introducing contemporary Chinese literature to global audiences through “literary” translations are explored. The findings revealed that shifts in sensory representation within translations altered the degree of bodily presence and weakened or enhanced the emotional impact of the work, thus providing insights for translators of Chinese fiction.

Keywords: sensory narrative; sensory experience; English translation of A Private Life; translations of contemporary Chinese fiction