A Study on the Translation of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the Perspective of Communicative and Semantic Translation

Abstract

This paper analyzes the translation strategies employed in Zhang Wanli's Chinese version of Chapter 15 in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the lens of Peter Newmark’s semantic and communicative translation theories. By comparing the source text and the target text in terms of dialect handling, culture-loaded expressions, and narrative style, the study reveals how the translator strikes a dynamic balance between “fidelity to the original text” and “accessibility to the reader.” The findings suggest that Zhang's translation primarily adopts communicative translation to enhance readability in the Chinese context, while also incorporating semantic translation to faithfully convey key information and the narrative tone of the original. This strategy not only accounts for the widespread acceptance of Zhang's version but also provides a valuable case study for the cultural adaptation of literary translations.