Abstract
In the post-modern world where thinking of pluralism and relativism is prevalent (Honeysett 2002), fundamental values such as respect for life pertinent to the health and welfare of
humanity should remain unchanged in order to preserve the culture from corrosion. In this paper, through examining creativity in
translation and creative writing (Zawawy 2008; Perteghella and Loffredo 2006), macro- and micro- strategies of translating a Chinese prose into an English play will
be discussed, with the aim to explore the notion, “creativity is culturally variable” (Carter
2016) in literary translation. I would concur with Ludwig Wittgenstein who stated, “ethics and aesthetics are one” (1961), and argue that genres and forms of expression might vary in cross-cultural translation, semantic content and message
should still be unaltered. Literary translators can act as cultural mediators to advocate peace. So to “develop an understanding
of translation strategies and of the vital role that creativity plays throughout the translation/interpreting process” (Levý in
Beylard-Ozeroff, Králová and Moser-Mercer 1998) can help translators build bridges
rather than promote violence, to foster diversity rather than divisiveness. As such, I would explore how a translator can
translate cultures with respect, integrity and creativity in the midst of tensions, confrontations and conflicts due to
misunderstandings linguistically and culturally. As Vezzaro (2010: 10) put it, “to come
closer to feeling compassion, which is what writing and translating is ultimately all about.” This will call for efforts to
translate texts with faithfulness and the right degree of creativity (Grassilli 2014),
making good decisions at individual levels and beyond. This will also require cultural understanding and collaboration at national
and even international levels.
Translation and Stylistics: A Case Study of Tawfiq al-Hakeem’s “Sparrow from the East”