本文是一篇英语论文，从文本的选择到翻译实践的最终完成，作者经历了令人印象深刻的几个月。在这段时间里，作者不仅首次独立翻译长篇批评文学文本，获得了宝贵的经验，而且通过不断的阅读和探索，了解了更广阔的世界。
Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Research Background
In 2019,the major project entitled“History of African Literature in English”,wasgranted by the National Social Sciences Foundation of China.This project examines theemergence,development and flourishing of African literature in English,focuses on theinternal causes,external factors and the literary forms that follow the collision of itsindigenous and foreign cultures and explores relevant issues in South,West,Central and EastAfrica.
The author has participated in the translation of the monograph East African Writing inEnglish focusing on Chapter Two.The total number of words in the original text is 11608words in English.Chapter Two studies major novels written by East African writers toillustrate the relationship between the works and society,such as Mwangi Ruheni’s TheMinster's Daugher in 1970s,Charles Mangua’s Son of Woman,Meja Mwangi’s Carcase forHounds,Nuruddin Farah’s Sweet and Sour Milk,etc.In short,it covers a wide range of topics,including history,geography,religion,politics and culture.
1.2 Literature Review
With the development of China-Africa cooperation relations,translation is indispensablefor exchanges.Meanwhile,good translators can convey the unique African culture orideology to the public.As to translation,China is a major country,through which Africanliterature can be presented to Chinese readers,and we should pay attention to the role oftranslation in the cultural harmonization of communication between China and Africa(王宁2012).The unique study of African translation can expand the connotation and theoreticalscope of translation studies,which is of great significant in innovative studies.Therefore itmust be highly valued by Chinese scholars in translation.The study of the culturalbackground of Africa is of great value and is an important element in enhancing exchangesbetween China and Africa.However,the translation practice of Africa literature is still underexploration,and many African works are not translated into Chinese.We need to increase thedepth,intensity and quantity of research on great African works,and look forward to forminga rich cultural climate at an early date.
However,so far,there are relatively few studies on the Chinese translation of Africanliterature.Until March 2022,only 184 Chinese documents with high relevance of“Africanliterature”and“translation”on China National Knowledge Internet(CNKI)were found in thesearch results.The author searched the keywords“African literature”and“translation”simultaneously on EBSCO,and found only about 316 articles with high relevance.
Chapter 2 Description of The Translation Project
2.1 Contents of East African Writing in English
East African Writing in English,was written by Angela Smith and published byMacmillan Publishers Ltd.in 1989.The book was divided into six chapters:Introduction:‘The pain of history words contain’,The Novel in East Africa,The Novel:Ngugi waThiong’o,East African Poetry,Drama and Performing Arts and Conclusion:Exile andHomecoming.The author has translated Chapter Two“The Novel in East Africa”.
The chapter mainlyconcerns the six important writers:Ngugi wa Thiong’o,Nuruddin Farah,Achebe,MejaMwangi,Charles Mangua,Mwangi Ruheni and involves more than ten important works.
Ngugi was a Kenyan novelist,literary critic and playwright of the 20th century,and isconsidered a pioneer of African post-colonial theory.His works,The River Between,WeepNot,Child,A Grain of Wheat,Devil on tile Cross,Petals of Blood,Wizard of the Crow,Dreams in a Time of War:A Childhood Memoir,In the Mouse of the Interpreter:A Memoir,and Birth of a Dream Waver:A Memoir of a Writer’s Awakening have been translated intoChinese.Devil on tile Cross is a novel written by Ngugi in the prison.It takes independentKenya as its historical background and irony as its main technique to show the seeminglyabsurd but actually real Kenyan society(陆纯艺,冯德
