Blades of Grass: The Stories of Lao She

A Comparative Study on Two Translations of Lao She’s Black Li and White Li

“…At that time, the great economic development in East Asia aroused another hot wave of oriental studies in the US. Hawaii University Press had an ambitious plan to publish a series of translation works to showcase the works of contemporary Chinese novelists in fresh and authoritative translations and from a range of cultural and political milieus (Goldblatt; cited in Lyell & Chen, 1999).…”

“…Therefore, he believed Lao She was unique to every reader. As a translator, what he should do was present Lao She's works with as little of his personal conception as possible, leaving readers the chance to get "a more accurate impression of Lao She's own voice" with their own eyes (Lyell & Chen, 1999). Therefore, the Skopos Lyell persisted in translation was to present the source text to its full, without any omission.…”

“…He sought faithful translation by copying the original structure of the Chinese idiom, hoping modern readers could fully understand old China's life. He even added an endnote (Lyell & Chen, 1999, p. 67) to discuss the importance of the Classic of Filial Piety for Black Li and "I", and the tenets an elder brother was expected to follow.…”

“…Through the translation solutions he employed, he displayed a fantastic Chinese story and partially brought Lao more recognition in the United States. Nearly half a century later, Lyell discovered that Lao She had been so well-known among students in the US that the students were bored of any critiques on Lao She (Lyell & Chen, 1999). Therefore, Lyell presented his translation work with different ideologies and translation solutions.…”