The Uncrossable Otherness in Language: A Case Study of the Chinese Translation of the Four-word Synonymous Compounds in Kor. Surangkanang’s Novel "The Prostitute"

Abstract

This research article aims to study the inability to overcome the otherness in the Chinese translation of the four-word synonymous compounds found in Kor. Surangkanang’s novel “The Prostitute”. The study identified four aspects of this inability to overcome the otherness: 1) omission, the translator omitted certain parts from the original Thai version; 2) inequivalent translation of aesthetic words, the translator used basic words and phrases that differed from the Thai version in terms of register; 3) mistranslation, the translator used the translated words that had different meanings from the Thai version; and 4) translation lacking literary art, the translator was unable to convey the meanings and flavours in literary art due to a lack of understanding of the Thai social and cultural context. The researcher found the reasons for the translator's inability to overcome the otherness in the four-word synonymous compounds are his or her inconsideration of the four-word synonymous compound structure, an incomplete interpretation of the source text, and a lack of understanding of the sociocultural context.