A Corpus-based Study on the English Translation Strategies of Wolf Totem and the Ecological Meanings’ Shifting

This study investigates Howard Goldblatt's translation of Wolf Totem and the consequent shifting of the ecological meanings by investigating a parallel corpus of Wolf Totem.It was found that 73.99% of the original content was translated, and the most common means of variation used by the translator was to omit whole sentences or paragraphs (26.01%).A strong correlation between the translator's extensive omission and the speech and thoughts of the protagonist, Chen Zhen, was demonstrated by Pearson's correlation analysis (r=.989, p<.001).Combined with the most frequent word list, we confirmed that the abundant monologues and mental activities of Chen Zhen were one of the main targets of omission.Combining hierarchical clustering analysis with content analysis, we confirmed that the content of omission mainly includes 1) Chen Zhen's life in taming the coyote, 2) the appreciation of the swan from Yangke's perspective and his psychological shock of the swan being slaughtered by rural workers, and 3) Chen Zhen's reflection on the relationship between ecology, nation, history and the world.The ecological implications of the novel reside in the intellectual maturation of the Beijing youth in the course of their life on the grassland, reflecting their identity transformation from grassland outsiders to herdsmen believing in "Wolf Totem".Goldblatt's omission accelerates the narrative pace and dilutes the implications of ecological holism, ecological naturalism and sustainable development embedded in the characters' speeches and thoughts.