ABSTRACT

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has earned great popularity among children all over the world, including China, since it came out in 1997. There are two versions in China in 2000, one of which was translated by Cao Suling and Ma Ainong from Chinese Mainland and the other was translated by Peng Qianwen from Taiwan. Two Chinese versions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone have been a hit since they were published. At the same time, they drew attention from some scholars abroad and from home. However, there is little research on them done from the perspective of skopos theory. By analyzing the intended functions and target readers, the writer aims at comparing the two Chinese versions, in the hope of finding out similarities and explores differences between them from lexical level and syntactical level under the guidance of Skopos Theory. The writer will evaluate the readability and acceptability of the two versions and testify the feasibility of Skopos Theory in the translation of children literature.

Key Words: skopos theory; Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone; translation of children literature

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter One INTRODUCTION-1

Chapter Two LITERATURE REVIEW-3

Chapter Three SKOPOS THEORY-5

3.1 Basic Concepts of Skopos Theory-5

3.2 Principles on Skopos Theory-6

  3.2.1 Skopos rule-6

  3.2.2 Coherence rule-6

  3.2.3 Fidelity rule-6

  3.2.4 Loyalty rule-6

Chapter Four CHILDREN LITERATURE-8

  4.1 Brief Introduction of Children Literature-8

4.2 Characteristics of Children Literature-8

  4.2.1 Vividness-8

  4.2.2 Conciseness-8

  4.2.3 Musicality-8

  4.2.4 Child Interest-9

4.3 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in Children Literature-9

4.4 Principles on Translating Children Literature-11

  4.4.1 Emphasizing readability-11

  4.4.2 Catering to children’s psychological need-12

Chapter Five A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TWO CHINESE VERSIONS UNDER SKOPOS  THEORY-13

  5.1 Brief Introduction to Two Chinese Versions-13

  5.2 Similarities between the Two Translated Versions-13

  5.3 Differences between the Two Translated Versions-14

5.3.1 Comparison at the lexical level-14

5.3.2 Comparison at the syntactical level-15

Chapter Six CONCLUSION-19

WORKS CITED-20