1 Introduction

The role of Chinese literary translation in spreading excellent Chinese culture and promoting exchanges between Eastern and Western civilizations was introduced, with particular emphasis on the importance of Shaanxi literature and the works of its representative writer Chen Yan in international dissemination. Chen Yan's "Xijing Trilogy" was translated into English by Professor Hu Zongfeng and Dr. Robin Gilbank's translation team, making contributions to the international dissemination of Shaanxi literature. Based on Bourdieu's sociological theory, this study explores the influence of translator habits on collaborative translation, aiming to provide theoretical and practical support for the research and promotion of Chinese literature translation.

Research on Collaborative Translation and Translator Habits

Collaborative translation is an important way of disseminating literary classics and cultural exchange, and holds a significant position in the history of Chinese translation. The research on collaborative translation in the domestic translation academic community mainly focuses on four aspects: essence, mode, text, and review, but there is insufficient exploration of social factors. Since the 1970s, the translation academic community has begun to pay attention to the sociality of translation. In the 1990s, sociological theories, especially Bourdieu's reflective sociological theory, were introduced, providing methodological value for studying the social factors of translation activities. Bourdieu proposed that social practice is the result of the interaction between habitus, capital, and the field, where habitus is the temperament tendency formed by individuals in social practice, which affects their perception, evaluation, and behavior. Translator habit refers to the tendency of translators to take actions for the purpose of obtaining benefits, the field is the social structure within the social practice domain, and capital is the accumulation of power or resources held by individuals or groups that can be transformed into power. Translation practice is the result of the interaction between habit, field, and capital. Habitual research needs to combine the concepts of field and capital to comprehensively and objectively examine translation activities.

Translation Habits of Hu Zongfeng and Gilbank and the English Translation of the "Xijing Trilogy"

In the collaborative translation of the "Xijing Trilogy", Hu Zongfeng and Gilbank served as the main translators and jointly participated in the English translation of three theatrical works. Their initial habits were formed in early social experiences, laying the foundation for entering the field of translation. During his master's program in the Department of Foreign Languages at Xi'an Jiaotong University, Hu Zongfeng initially formed his habit of translating Shaanxi literature through the task of translating Jia Pingwa's prose. Gilbank obtained a PhD in Medieval English Literature from Aberystwyth University in Wales, UK, and developed an interest in traditional Chinese culture, forming an initial habit of studying Chinese and foreign literature. The translator habits of the two have been further internalized in collaborative translation, which has had a multifaceted impact on the collaborative translation activities.

4 Conclusion

This chapter is based on Bourdieu's sociological theory, analyzing the translator habits of Hu Zongfeng and Gilbank in their collaborative translation of the "Xijing Trilogy" and exploring their influence on the translation. Research has found that the habits of the two translators prompted them to promote Shaanxi literature, establishing a positive interaction through cooperation and forming a unique translation style. Their translation strategies include correspondence, interpretation, and simplification, aiming to preserve the cultural characteristics of the original work while ensuring smooth reading. The collaborative translation model has successfully promoted Shaanxi literary works and has significant value for the international dissemination of Chinese literature. Collaboration between Chinese and foreign translators is an ideal model, which requires a deep understanding of local works while considering the aesthetic preferences of the target language readers and selecting themes with international dissemination potential. Translators should attach importance to the translation of cultural expressions, flexibly apply strategies, improve the quality of translations, and pave the way for the international dissemination of Chinese literature.