A Discussion on the Creativity of Literary Translation: A Case Study of Liu Xiangyu’s Chinese Translation of Ulysses

Literary translation is a recreation of language that requires a high degree of imagination and creativity from the translator. However, creativity in translation is by no means an easy task, especially when it comes to modern classic literary works that are distinctive and meticulously crafted, making such endeavors largely challenging. From Liu Xiangyu’s Chinese translation of Ulysses, it is evident that creativity in translation constantly interacts with language, grappling with relationships of “imitation,” “transformation,” and “reconstruction.” On one hand, the translator must reproduce the linguistic characteristics of the original text, while on the other, they must overcome the “heterogeneity” inherent in literary language. This paper takes the creative approaches in Liu Xiangyu’s Chinese translation of Ulysses as examples to explore further possibilities and directions for creativity in literary translation, aiming to provide inspiration and insights for academic research.