Chapter published in:
Opera in Translation: Unity and diversityEdited by Adriana Şerban and Kelly Kar Yue Chan
[Benjamins Translation Library 153] 2020
► pp. 159–173
The voice of the translator
A case study of the English translations of The Peony Pavilion
Cindy S. B. Ngai | The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
There have been discussions about the concept of the translator’s voice, and the visibility of the
translator in the practice of translation. However, questions relating to what actually makes the translator visible
and visibility as a strategic act remain under-explored. This chapter examines the impact of the translator’s
assumptions about visibility, and the translation strategies adopted. Special attention will be paid to opera
translation from Chinese into English, using The Peony Pavilion as a case in point. Through
text-based comparison and analysis of paratexts, it is revealed that the translator’s voice emerges as a result of the
translation strategy used, and is underpinned by the translator’s assumptions.
Keywords: translator’s voice, translation strategy, ideology, visibility,
The Peony Pavilion
, classical Chinese opera
Published online: 29 October 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.153.08nga
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.153.08nga
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