Rewriting of source texts as an approach to the preparation of translating culture loaded texts in Chinese

Abstract

With their hectic lifestyles and fast-paced working environments, some city dwellers are becoming more health-conscious and paying more attention to their physical and mental well being. Chinese tea and its related culture are becoming increasingly popular, even among Generation Z. However, there are few translations of tea-related culture materials available for young tea lovers in Singapore. This capstone project took the challenge to introduce ceremonial preparation and presentation of tea as Chinese tea culture through the rewriting and the Chinese-English translation of some extracts from the book Cha Xiu by Wang Qiong, a veteran tea master in China. The aim of the project is to provide possible translation approaches, translation strategies and techniques for educational materials in Chinese tea-related culture. The target text in English is intended for tea-related enrichment programmes and the target audience is young tea enthusiasts with a basic understanding of tea. In the process of translation, two key issues were raised: firstly, how to handle culturally-loaded words and abstract philosophical concepts in the source text; secondly, what aspects to consider in creating a translation suitable for children and serve its educational purpose as well. This project employed rewriting as its main translation strategy coupled with transcreation and transediting techniques in the exploration of multi-approaches to achieve the best translation possible for the target audience. Key words: rewriting, transcreation, transediting, reader approach translation, culture loaded text, translation for children