Dialect, when used with standard language in novels, creates a voice of difference for characters with a specific social or geographical origination. This different voice is often hybrid with various sub-voices in textual representation for nuanced characterization. The sub-voices are created with the use of different dialect features, and variations in frequency of dialect use. While previous studies have focused mainly on qualitative analysis of linguistic features used in dialect translation, only limited attention has been given to the issue of frequency in dialect translation and the hybridity of the dialectal voice. This article focuses on examining how frequency variation in dialect representation has been handled in translation with a case study of three Chinese translations of Tess of the d’Urbervilles. It proposes a quantitative method, the frequency variation measure, designed for comparative studies of dialect variations in frequency in source texts and their translations. The case study shows that the translators have relied on variations in frequency of dialect use for desired effects, and the variation patterns in frequency in the ST are often changed and even reversed in the translations to re-characterize the heroine Tess and change the nature of the tragedy. The proposed method makes it possible to examine the intra-textual variations in dialect representation of literary texts and translations, and shed new light on how a dialectal voice and its various sub-voices are created in a (translated) text.

中文翻译：

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《德伯家的苔丝》汉译中的方言多音与频率问题

方言在小说中与标准语言一起使用时，会为具有特定社会或地理起源的人物创造不同的声音。这种不同的声音通常与文本表示中的各种子声音混合，以进行细微的表征。子语音是使用不同的方言特征和方言使用频率的变化创建的。虽然以前的研究主要集中在对方言翻译中使用的语言特征的定性分析，但对方言翻译中的频率问题和方言语音的混合性问题关注有限。本文以《德伯家的苔丝》的三个中文译本为例，重点研究如何在翻译中处理方言表示中的频率变化。它提出了一种定量方法，频率变化测量，设计用于比较研究源文本及其翻译中频率的方言变化。案例研究表明，译者依靠方言使用频率的变化来达到预期的效果，ST中频率的变化模式在翻译中经常发生变化甚至颠倒，以重新刻画女主人公苔丝并改变其性质。悲剧。所提出的方法可以检查文学文本和翻译的方言表示的文本内变化，并为如何在（翻译的）文本中创建方言语音及其各种子语音提供新的思路。案例研究表明，译者依靠方言使用频率的变化来达到预期的效果，ST中频率的变化模式在翻译中经常发生变化甚至颠倒，以重新刻画女主人公苔丝并改变其性质。悲剧。所提出的方法可以检查文学文本和翻译的方言表示的文本内变化，并为如何在（翻译的）文本中创建方言语音及其各种子语音提供新的思路。案例研究表明，译者依靠方言使用频率的变化来达到预期的效果，ST中频率的变化模式在翻译中经常发生变化甚至颠倒，以重新刻画女主人公苔丝并改变其性质。悲剧。所提出的方法可以检查文学文本和翻译的方言表示的文本内变化，并为如何在（翻译的）文本中创建方言语音及其各种子语音提供新的思路。