A comparative study on the English translation strategies of minor characters in A Dream of Red Mansions from the perspective of translator' s habitus—a case study of the image of Granny Liu in the Yangs' and Hawkes' translations
译者惯习视角下《红楼梦》中小人物英译策略对比研究——以杨、霍译本中的“刘姥姥”形象为例

摘要

《红楼梦》是中国古典文学的巅峰之作，它生动塑造了从核心人物到边缘角色的庞大人物群像，其中以刘姥姥为代表的小人物虽身处叙事边缘，却承载着独特的文化魅力与叙事功能。其语言的乡土气息、身份的边缘特征以及行为的质朴，使其成为考察译者如何处理翻译语言的理想样本。本文从布迪厄社会学理论中的“惯习”概念出发，以杨宪益、戴乃迭夫妇译本（A Dream of Red Mansions）与大卫·霍克斯（David Hawkes）译本（The Story of the Stone）为研究对象，聚焦于刘姥姥这一小人物在英文语境中的形象再现，详析译者在小人物形象英译过程中的具体方法运用，尝试对译者惯习与翻译方法之间的策略差异及其深层动因做出有效阐释，旨在揭示翻译背后的行为机制，为如何平衡文化忠实与读者接受提供有益启示。

Abstract

As a pinnacle of classical Chinese literature, A Dream of Red Mansions portrays a vast cast of characters ranging from central figures to marginal roles. Among them, minor characters represented by Granny Liu, though situated on the narrative periphery, embody unique cultural charm and narrative functions. Her rustic language, marginal identity, and unaffected behavior make her an ideal sample for examining how translators handle language in translation. Drawing on the concept of “habitus” from Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological theory, this paper takes the Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang’s translation (A Dream of Red Mansions) and David Hawkes’ translation (The Story of the Stone) as research objects. Focusing on the representation of Granny Liu in the English context, it analyzes in detail the specific methods employed by the translators in rendering this minor character, attempting to effectively interpret the strategic differences between translator habitus and translation methods as well as their underlying motivations. The study aims to reveal the behavioral mechanisms behind translation and provide useful insights into balancing cultural fidelity with reader accessibility.