Translation of proper names in Cao Xuetsin's novel "Dream in the red terem"

Zhou Zihan

The article is devoted to the study of proper names in the novel "Sleep in the Red Chamber". There are over 400 characters in The Dream in the Red Chamber. When creating the names of the characters, author Cao Xueqin emphasized the hidden evaluations of the heroes. The purpose of this article is to analyze the methods of translation and use of proper names in the novel "Dream in the Red Chamber", which can later serve as an example of translation of proper names of other Chinese classical novels. When translating the names of the characters in this novel, transliteration and descriptive translation were found to be the main methods. The study also concluded that when faced with gaps, translators should focus on compensatory translation tactics: practice literal translation with a footnote or endnote and contextual expansion. When choosing a translation method, it is necessary to simultaneously preserve the basic functions of the name, taking into account the best expression of the original content.

Keywords:proper nouns, methods of translating proper nouns, the novel "A Dream in the Red Chamber", Cao Xueqin, translation tactics.