Studies on the Translation of Personal Names in Red Sorghum

Personal name is one of the methods to build images of diversified characters in literary works. In Chinese culture, personal names carry abundant cultural information, so it is extremely difficult for translators to translate the personal names. This essay makes an exhaustive research of the translation of personal names in Red Sorghum and analyzes the translation effects. Howard Goldblatt employs three methods to translate personal names: transliteration, free translation and rewriting. Personal names are not just social symbols. Their translation does not equal to the transfer of linguistic codes. In some cases, Goldblatt cherishes the important role code users play in the communication, so he attemps to transmit the user-oriented cultural information represented by personal names in the source text. Goldblatt does not always transliterate into English the Chinese personal names with the Chinese phonetic alphabet. When situation permits, he free translates or even rewrites the personal names in order to transmit the pragmatic and cultural meanings, which demonstrates his magnificent creativity and initiative.