Translating fiction from the perspective of ecotranslatology

Abstract

The article aims at analyzing fiction translation from the point of view of a recently emerged eco-translatological perspective to literary translation criticism. Originally, it is a Chinese theory brought forth by Hu Gengshen in Translation Studies. Eco-translatology is a unique translation theory related to some Western schools, namely the principle of dynamic equivalence, the Skopos School and the descriptive translation studies. However, Hu Gengshen suggests a broader way of treating translation from the ecological perspective. Eco-translatology assumes placing translators at the central position during the process of translation. In terms of translator centeredness concept, where translator plays a central role keeping the balance and harmony of the ecological environment, translation process is a process of multi-dimensional adaptation and selection of the ecological environment of translation. We, in turn, believe that eco-translatology is applicable to all translations of fiction analysis and we aim to apply this translation theory not to translation of Chinese contemporary literature, but to analyze translation of fiction from Ukrainian into English. Theoretical framework of this study is ecological translation. Research corpus is Lesya Ukrainka’s novel and its English translation by Roma Franko. We aimed to reveal some of characteristics of her translation through case study. In addition, we revealed and analyzed Roma Franko’s selective adaptation to the ecological environment of translation.