A Westward Journey vs. a Playful Journey: Strategies for the Translation of Cultural Elements in Journey to the West
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7764/onomazein.43.09Keywords:
Journey to the West, cultural elements, translation strategy, amplification, omissionAbstract
Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature, was published in the mid-16th century during the Ming Dynasty. The first Spanish version of the novel was published in 1992. Later, in 2004, this edition was revised and republished in one volume by Siruela Publishing. In addition to Siruela’s edition, another Spanish translation is available as part of the Library of Chinese Classics in 2010. The most recent Spanish version of Journey
to the West was a 187-page book published by the ChinaZhong publishing of Argentina in 2011. This article discusses translators’ strategies in dealing with cultural differences. It compares the contents length, chapter arrangement of the original work and its translations as well as the translation strategies for cultural elements.