A Study of Idiom Translation in Bonsall’s The Red Chamber Dream

Abstract

This paper combines quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze the translation characteristics of idioms in B. S. Bonsall’s full English translation of The Red Chamber Dream, starting from George Steiner’s fourfold hermeneutic motion: trust, aggression, incorporation, and restitution. Through data statistics and conclusion analysis, I concluded that the translation strategies of idioms in Bonsall’s English translation are mainly literal translations, supplemented by free translations, and literal translations combined with free translations, which also provides some enlightenment for the English translation of Chinese classics

Keywords

• idiom translation
• bonsall’s english full translation of the red chamber dream
• translation strategy and translation process
• george steiner’s fourfold hermeneutic motion theory