Comparative Analysis of Translators’ Style in Chinese Versions of Hamlet from the Perspective of Manipulation Theory

Each translator’s ideology will be formed differently due to his different time background and social environment, which will have an influence on their translation process. When translating the same work, the translator’s understanding of the original text will be different. Based on Andre Lefevere’s manipulation theory and taking Shakespeare’s Hamlet translations in China as an example, this paper makes a comparative study of the translation styles of Zhu Shenghao and Sun Dayu. The translation styles of the two famous translators are different. The former is more prosaic, while the latter is more poetic. Starting from the translator’s life experience and social background of translation creation, the paper discusses the different influence of ideology, poetics and patronage on the two translator’s translation process through the analysis of specific examples.