关键词: 《黑白李》; 熟语; “求真—务实”连续统评价模式; 译者行为批评

Abstract: Idioms in short stories usually play the roles of making language expressions concise, presenting local features and shaping characters. This paper compares the three English versions of Black Li and White Li translated by Chi-Chen Wang, William A. Lyell and Don J. Cohn respectively. Based on truth-seeking-utility-attaining continuum evaluation model, it evaluates these three English versions from the perspective of translator behavior criticism. We find that in the truth-seeking-utility-attaining continuum, three English versions all tilt towards the utility-attaining end. But they have different degrees of utility-attaining. Chi-Chen Wang’s version has the highest degree of utility-attaining, Lyell’s version the second. Compared to these two versions, Cohn’s version has the highest degree of truth-seeking. With the comparative study of idiom translation in the three versions, we conclude that translation of Chinese idioms should keep the balance between truth-seeking and utility-attaining. Based on keeping faithfulness to the source text, translators should choose appropriate translation methods to achieve the aim of serving target readers and society. Meanwhile, since the shades of meaning would influence the reproduction of idioms’ functions in translation, translators should also pay attention to the choice of words for the representation of idioms.

Keywords: Black Li and White Li; idioms; truth-seeking-utility-attaining continuum evaluation model; translator behavior criticism