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Part of
Opera in Translation: Unity and diversity
Edited 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

| 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
Article outline
  • 1.The translator’s voice: An overview
  • 2. The Peony Pavilion
    • 2.1The importance of The Peony Pavilion
    • 2.2The ‘duality’ of Chinese opera
  • 3.The three English translations
  • 4.Discussion of the three English translations of The Peony Pavilion
  • 5.Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 29 October 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.153.08nga
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