Modern Social Science Research

Peanuts, a representative prose work by Xu Dishan, is characterized by plain language and rich cultural implications, making it a valuable text for translation studies. Based on Skopos Theory, this paper compares the English versions by Zhang Peiji and Liu Shicong from the perspectives of the Skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule. The analysis focuses on appellation translation, cultural elements, narrative perspective and semantic expression. It is found that Zhang’s version tends to preserve the style and cultural connotations of the source text, showing a literary-oriented approach, while Liu’s version emphasizes readability and target readers’ reception, reflecting a functional orientation. The study suggests that fidelity in literary translation is a dynamic construction constrained by translation purpose.

Skopos Theory; Peanuts; Zhang Peiji; Liu Shicong; Literary translation; Comparative study of translations