Publication and Translation of Sanmao’s Works: Dynamic Equivalence in Spanish Translation of Olive Tree in the Dream and Diary of the Years in the Canary Islands

Abstract

Sanmao, a Taiwanese writer, fascinates readers with her exotic experiences living in the Sahara and the Canary Islands. Her works were not known to non-Chinese readers until one of her books was translated into Spanish for the first time in 2016. The subject of this study is the second Spanish translation of her books: Diary of the Years in the Canary Islands (2017) (Diarios de las Canarias), and its original source book: Olive Tree in the Dream. This study discusses the translation strategy of dynamic equivalence employed to achieve fluency in the Spanish translation of Diary of Years in the Canary Islands. It also includes global celebrations of Sanmao’s life and works, and examines the elements contributing to the publication of the Spanish edition. Furthermore, it explores a few different aspects of adaptation, which make the translation highly acceptable to Spanish readers. The study is based on the theoretical frameworks of Nida (2004), Lefevere (1992) and Toury (2012) to produce an objective and comprehensive discussion.