Research on the Re-translation Effect of Lin Yutang’s A Nun of Taishan from a Perspective of Translation Ethics

Re-translation is a common phenomenon in translation activities, referring to the act of re-translating works that have already been translated. It is a necessary means for literary works to prolong their lifespan, reflecting different translators’ or the same translator’s translation purposes and understandings at different periods. The Travels of Lao Can, a famous condemnation novel written by the late Qing Dynasty author Liu E, has been translated into a highly accepted version by Lin Yutang for Western readers. This paper analyzes Lin Yutang’s abridged translations of The Travels of Lao Can titled A Nun of Taishan in both 1936 and 1951, employing exemplification and textual comparison analysis. The main focus of this paper is to explore Lin Yutang’s alterations in the re-translation process, as well as the effects and changes in translation purposes manifested in the re-translation.