Abstract Under the influence of different cultural backgrounds, social customs and religious beliefs, different cultures vary in their description of color terms. On the other hand, for different nations, the same color term may differ in its connotation and association. “Red” (Hong) has a high exposure in the original novel Hong Lou Meng, from the description of the characters’ dresses to the seasonal scenery in the residence, from traditional celebrations to conventional idioms. Moreover, “Hong” is also indispensable for describing the appearance and psychological movements of the characters. The proper translation of them poses a great challenge to the translator. Based on the study of the translation of “Hong” (Red) in The Story of the Stone, by David Hawkes, this thesis is to discuss and conclude strategies for the translation of denotation and connotation of “red”, and to explore the influence of cultural association and the translator’s purpose on the translation strategies.53753

Keywords: color terms; red; cultural association; translation strategies

摘 要受文化背景，社会习俗，宗教信仰等因素的影响，不同文化对颜色的表示方法不尽相同, 而对不同的民族而言，同一种颜色的文化内涵和联想意义也不尽相同。从人物的服饰到园中四季景物，从传统习俗到俗语典故，“红色”在《红楼梦》中出现的频率很高，甚至在描写人物的外貌，心理活动方面，“红色”也起了重要的作用。如何对这些红色进行巧妙地翻译是对译者的一个巨大的考验。本课题通过对大卫·霍克斯英译本中的“红”字翻译的分析，旨在发现和总结“红”字在不同情景中的翻译方法，并探讨颜色词的文化联想意义，以及译者翻译目的对翻译方法的影响。

毕业论文关键词: 颜色词；红色；文化的联想意义；翻译方法

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 1

3. Translation of Denotation of “Red” 3

3.1 Basic Color Terms of “Red” 3

3.2 Color Terms with “Red” of Objects 5

4. Translation of Connotation of “Red” 6

4.1 Showing Emotions 7

4.2 Reflecting Social Culture 9

5. Translation Strategies and Reasons for Different Strategies 12

5.1 Semantic Translation and Communicative Translation 12

5.2 Reasons for Different Translation Strategies 13

6. Conclusion 15

Works Cited 17

 1. Introduction

Color can soften the physical shape and strengthen the visual power. It can also express authors’ feelings and arouse readers’ emotions. Therefore, it enjoys a high artistic and aesthetic value in literature works.

Language is the tool of human communication as well as an essential part of culture. Color terms, as a huge word group, have different origins and culture roots in English and Chinese. Thus, they are totally different in their respective expressions in terms of linguistic features and cultural connotations. Therefore, the translation of them is required not only to transfer the denotative meaning, but also to handle the connotative elements implied in them. 

The novel Hong Lou Meng，one of the four Chinese classic masterpieces, is regarded as “the encyclopedia of Chinese culture literature”. It is by no means undeniable that the poetic language, especially the color term, makes great contribution to its artistic and aesthetic values. Undoubtedly, the color term “Hong” (Red), which appears 632 times in the whole works, is the core word in this novel. In the original text, “Hong” (Red) is used perfectly to depict landscapes, from the arrangement of equipments in the house to the shift of seasonal scenery in the residence, and it is also frequently used to describe the sentimental feelings and psychological movements of the characters.