Chapter 12

Translation and re-narration of Nainai

This case study is exemplified to probe into the distinctions between English translations either by English native translators Hawkes, Joly and Bonsall, or Chinese translator Yang in translating the personal deictic Nainai as appellation in chapter 27 of Honglou Meng, to sort out what cognition of Chinese culture they retained and intended to consolidate and evaluate if the translation(s) have convinced positive traditional Chinese culture. The discussion covers the reliable narration and unreliable narration of interpersonal relationship, social status, and modification based on the pragmatic study of the social and personal deictic Nainai as appellation in the discourse, suggesting that the cultural stance adopted by the translators can be the key factor in the wording and consequently in re-narrating the interpersonal relationship and their social status, with the intention of classifying the factors of improving the intercultural communication, a more positive response of Honglou Meng and the culture the work has embedded with, simultaneously better reproduction of the traditional Chinese culture can be developed.