Veiling the vulgar: translation of sex-related euphemisms in Mo Yan’s Big Breasts and Wide Hips

Although the translation of euphemisms has received academic attention, studies of sex-related euphemisms remain scarce, particularly in Chinese-English contexts. This study, therefore, aims to explore how sex-related euphemisms are translated from Chinese to English. Drawing on the euphemism formation frameworks of Al-Adwan and Naumenko and Kryvonis, and Vinay and Darbelnet’s translation strategies, this study employs the methods of descriptive translation studies and selects 84 samples from Mo Yan’s Big Breasts and Wide Hips and Goldblatt’s English translation. The results indicate that widening, metaphor and implication are the most common formation mechanisms, while euphemism with Chinese characteristics is identified as a new type of formation mechanism. Additionally, equivalence is the most frequently used strategy for euphemisms formed through implication and metaphor, while literal translation tends to appear in euphemisms generated through widening. Notably, for sex-related euphemisms with Chinese characteristics, the translator tends to adopt modulation to accommodate Western sexual culture. These findings expand the existing formation mechanisms of Chinese sex-related euphemisms, offer practical guidance for translators, and provide insights into the relationships between sex-related euphemism translation and cross-cultural communication.

Text 127243.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial. Download (495kB) Official URL or Download Paper: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/215824402...

Actions (login required)

View Item