CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL CONDITIONING OF CHINESE TRANSLATIONS OF A.P. CHEKHOV’S NOVELLA “THE BLACK MONK”

Abstract

Situated within the theoretical framework of the cultural turn in Translation Studies, this research employs a diachronic comparative method to analyze three 20th-century Chinese translations of Anton Chekhov’s novella The Black Monk (by Wu Tao, 1907; Mei Xi, 1952; and Ru Long, 1992). By constructing an analytical framework that integrates the macro-historical context, meso-level translation strategies, and micro-level textual operations, the study elucidates how specific socio-cultural conditions shape translational activity. The strategic configuration of each translation was shaped by three factors: the mode of access to the original, the preparedness of the readership, and the degree of institutional maturity of the translation culture. The trajectory traced across the three translations represents a succession of functional dominants, each responding to the demands of its historical moment. The divergences between the versions emerge as functional elements of cross-cultural interaction, reflecting the changing needs of the receiving culture.