Abstract: The contemporary western translation theories are flourishing, which provide lots of new perspectives for translation study. In so many translation theories, the skopostheorie put forward by Germany translator Hans Vermeer is unique. At the same time, excellent children’s literature translation is not only the precious nourishment for the mind of children, it can also arouse children’s interest in literature, which is much more important in children’s cultural life. This thesis aims to make use of skopostheorie in the translation of children’s literature. It compares two Chinese versions of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone-the version from People’s Literature Publishing House and the version from Taiwan, analyzing if the two versions regard children as the most important service goals and magnify the factors which can attract children，achieving the aim of providing the best services for children.

Key words: children’s literature; skopostheorie; translation; Harry Potter

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. The Introduction of Harry Potter Series-1

1.1 J.k.Rowling and the Series of Harry Potter-1

1.2 The Introduction of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone-1

2. Children’s Literature and Skopostheorie-2

2.1 Definition of Children’s Literature and Its Translation-2

2.2 Definition of Skopostheorie and Its Rules-3

2.3 The Application of Skopostheorie in Translation-5

3. A Case Study of Two Chinese Versions of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone with Skopostheorie-6

3.1 Figurativeness Contrastive Analysis-7

3.2 Conciseness Contrastive Analysis-9

3.3 Musicality Contrastive Analysis-13

4. Conclusion-15

References-16