A Study of Shapiro's Translation ofOutlaws of the Marsh—An Imagological Approach

The imagological approach in translation studies bases itself on the rationale of modern imagology and focuses on the synergy between image (re)construction and translation practice.The present paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the textual images reconstructed in one of the English translations of Shuihu Zhuan, Shapiro’s Outlaws of the Marsh.It is shown that Shapiro’s translation has created differentiated images that are neither identical with those of the original nor the same with those of the target system as a result of its mitigation of the original misogynistic tone, deletion of the cannibalism motif and replacement of the so-called jianghuculture.A contextualization of Shapiro’s translation activity against the translation and communication of Shuihu Zhuanin the West as well as the socio-political atmosphere in the mid-20 ^thworld reveals that the gender and cultural images that the translation has created is in accordance with both the ideological agenda of its patronage and the expectations of its possible target readers.The study also aims to explore the multi-dimensional relationship between translation activities and image (re)construction so as to shed light on the present practice of overseas promotion of Chinese literature.