Title: A Dynamic Study on Xu Yuanchong’s Chinese Translation of Shakespeare’s Plays from the Perspective of Translator Behavior Criticism: An Investigation of the Translation Manuscript of Antony and Cleopatra

Abstract: The “Truth-Seeking—Utility-Attaining” continuum mode of evaluation in translator behavior criticism focuses on the translator’s decision. However, current studies often concentrate on static comparison between the source text and the target text, while the dynamic decisions made by the translator in the translation process are largely ignored. This paper first addresses the significance of using translation manuscripts to promote translator behavior criticism research. Then with Xu Yuanchong’s translation manuscript of Antony and Cleopatra as a case study, this paper dynamically explores his decision-making process of translation through his revisions and seeks related explanations via Xu’s comments. It is found out that Xu Yuanchong’s revisions on the translation manuscript tend to be utility-attaining in the “Truth-Seeking—Utility-Attaining” continuum, adhering to the translation principle of utility-attaining as the priority while seeking truth, thus paying more attention to the acceptability of the translation. The selection of this translation principle is jointly influenced by the social background, the translator, and the translator’s perception of potential readers.

Keywords: dynamic translator behavior criticism, Xu Yuanchong, translation manuscript, translation revision, “Truth-Seeking—Utility-Attaining”

Author: Mi Zhang, Associate Professor, Foreign Languages College, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China; Yiwen Zhu, Foreign Languages College, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.