1.1 Background of this Thesis

In 2015, Liu Cixin became the first Asian winner of Hugo Award for his work Three-body Problem. Later in 2016, another Chinese writer Hao Jingfang won another Hugo Award for her novel Folding Beijing. This year, Liu Cixin was nominated for another Hugo Award and might become the winner. All these show that Chinese literature and culture are playing a more substantial role in the international arena.

The dissemination of Chinese culture plays a significant role in enhancing the soft strength of culture. In this process, the role of translation cannot be overlooked. In recent years, numerous sinologists abroad such as Michael Berry（白睿文） and Howard Goldblatt （葛浩文）have introduced Chinese culture by translating many Chinese literature works. Comparatively, there exists much room of improvement for the translators at home. The strategies used by those sinologists overseas are worth paying attention to.

1.2 Significance of this Thesis

When collecting data from CNKI, the author finds that the research of Wang Anyi’s Chang Hen Ge started in 1996. Before 2012, there existed no research of its English version. Research about its translation is quite rare which hinders the spread of this novel to some extent. The original version is written by world-renowned writer Wang Anyi. Famous sinologists Michael Berry and Susan Chen translated it into English. It is imperative and worthwhile for us to analyze the translation of culture-loaded words in this novel. Besides, such research offers first-hand materials for people who study the translation of Michael Berry and Susan Chen. Last but not least, through this research, the author finds that the translation strategies used by these two famous translators are inspiring, providing other translators with new ways in translating culture-loaded words.

1.3 The Questions of this Thesis

This thesis works to explore the translation of culture-loaded words in Wang Anyi’s The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai. The research is based on the English version translated by Michael Berry and Susan Chen and seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What are foreignization and domestication?

2. What are culture-loaded words?

3. What are the methods used by the translators in translating culture-loaded words in The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai?

1.4 Main Contents of this Thesis

Chapter one is the introduction to this thesis which introduces research background, significances, problems and main contents.

Chapter two is the literature review, releasing the previous research of The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai at home and abroad.

Chapter three introduces the theoretical framework of domestication and foreignization as well as culture-loaded words. In this chapter, the author first introduces the theoretical framework of domestication and foreignization, including their development at home and abroad and definition. Then the author introduces theoretical framework of culture-loaded words, including their definitions and classifications. Meanwhile, the author exemplifies some examples from The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai.

Chapter four is the most important one. In this chapter, the author makes an elaborate study of the translation strategies the translators adopted. In terms of the application of foreignization, practical methods like literal translation, literal translation plus explanation and transliteration are included. In terms of domestication, practical methods like liberal translation, substitution and omission are adopted.

Chapter five summarizes the above analysis and states the limitations of this thesis.

Chapter Two Literature Review

The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai is of great literary value. Numerous theses about it can be found in CNKI, most of which study its Chinese version. However, owing to the success of its English version in western countries, more folks convert their attention to the English version.