TITLE:
The Translation Strategies of Chinese Classical Novels into English from the Perspective of the Functional Skopos Theory—A Case Study of Journey to the West
AUTHORS:
Fang Zhai, Ruihua Wang
KEYWORDS:
Translation, Functional Skopos Theory, Comparative Analysis
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Linguistics,
Vol.16 No.1,
January
26,
2026
ABSTRACT: As a bridge of information dissemination and communication, translation plays an important role in the development of modern times, especially in the translation of classical literature. This paper takes the functional skopos theory as the theoretical framework, takes the classical literary masterpiece Journey to the West as an example, makes a comparative analysis of the excerpts of Yu Guofan and Arthur Waley’s translations and tries to explore how to use different translation strategies from the perspective of skopos theory. Through analysis and research, it is found that the two scholars use literal translation, free translation and other translation strategies from different perspectives, and each has its own unique features. In order to follow the skopos theory principle and their own cultural value orientation, it is found that Yu Guofan’s translation is more inclined to retain the cultural significance of Journey to the West itself. Waley tends to promote personal heroism. The comparative analysis of this paper aims to help translators adopt more appropriate translation strategies for different audiences, so as to facilitate foreign readers to feel the extensive Chinese literature and to spread Chinese culture.