1 Introduction

Introduced the development of social translation studies, particularly the application of Bourdieu's concepts of "field" and "habit" in translation research. Heilbronn and Sapiro regarded text translation as the flow of cultural products between different cultures and proposed "social constraints" as a methodological tool for studying translation. By analyzing two Chinese translations of "Sleeping Beauty" in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, this paper explores the translation strategies of translators in different social and cultural backgrounds, and verifies the applicability of social constraint theory.

2 Social constraints

In depth exploration of the application of social constraint theory in translation behavior emphasizes that translation activities are influenced by the triple constraints of politics, economy, and culture. Political constraints usually come from the government or mainstream ideology, economic constraints are related to publishers' pursuit of profits, and cultural constraints are reflected in aesthetic norms. Translators may develop habits during the translation process, but individual decisions are also influenced by specific contexts and personal preferences. The status of the text and the translator's position are two key factors that affect translation decisions. The status of the text involves the seriousness of the text and the tolerance of the receptive field, while the position of the translator is related to the translator's background, beliefs, and qualifications.

3 Social Constraints and the Chinese Translation of 'Sleeping Beauty'

Children's readers are often influenced by adult intervention in text circulation, and children's literature is marginalized in the literary system and easily subject to social constraints. The translations by Sun and Dai were published during the embryonic and slightly developed stages of children's literature, respectively, and were influenced by political, economic, and cultural constraints as well as the translator's stance. Analyzed the publishing situation, children's education policies, publishing house editorial guidelines, literary creation orientation, and translator translation proposals, and explored how translators can practice Sapiro's sociological research method.

4. Sun's translation of "Sleeping Princess" and "Fairy Tales" series

Sun Yuxiu's translation of "Sleeping Princess" was part of the 1917 Commercial Press "Fairy Tales" series, marking the beginning of modern Chinese children's literature. Sun Yuxiu switched to compiling Western books due to the abolition of the imperial examination system, and his translation activities were constrained by the politics, economy, and culture of the late Qing Dynasty. The Qing government's "Guimao Education System" and related regulations had strict regulations on textbook content and language use, emphasizing Confucianism and classical Chinese, which had an impact on Sun Yuxiu's translation. The economic strategy of the Commercial Press requires the "Fairy Tales" series to attract children readers, using simple and understandable vernacular language that does not conflict with political constraints in terms of value orientation, but differs in language use and content selection. At the same time, the tradition and norms of old vernacular literature also constrained Sun Yuxiu's translation. Sun Yuxiu adopted a "combination of Chinese and Western" approach in translation, choosing plain language to adapt to the characteristics of children's reading, while also being influenced by old vernacular literature in terms of content and language. His translation, while introducing new literary genres, also differs from the original work due to multiple constraints, presenting the characteristics of old popular language versions or novels.

Dai Wangshu's "Sleeping Beauty in the Forest" and "World Youth Literature Series"

Dai Wangshu first translated the entire version of Belo's "Stories of the Past with Moral Lessons" to China in 1929, namely "The Story of Mother Goose", with "Sleeping Beauty in the Forest" as the opening work. This translation was published by Kaiming Bookstore, founded by Zhang Xichen, who had left the Commercial Press due to avant-garde remarks in the Women's Magazine. Kaiming Bookstore has close relationships with the "White Horse Lake Writers Group" and members of the Literature Research Association. Its publishing purpose is to "provide literature for children" and to focus on the quality and aesthetics of children's literature.

6 Conclusion

The concept of "social constraints" provides a classification tool for translation behavior restrictions and reveals the reasons for the formation of behavioral patterns by social subjects. The translator's agency enables them to strike a balance between constraints and demonstrate the synchronicity of translation behavior. Describing the social constraints of different eras helps to write the history of translation. Social translation studies focuses on the standardization of international communication and reception systems for texts, and integrates multiple systems theory and descriptive translation studies through case analysis. This study provides methodological support for social translation studies and children's literature social translation studies, and provides descriptive tools and translation history writing methods for children's literature translation from a sociological perspective.