Remodeling a Classic: A Corpus-Based Multidimensional Analysis of Jin Ping Mei’ Register Variation in English

While corpus-based studies of literary translation have extensively examined translation universals, translator style, and linguistic features, register variation across different translations of the same literary work remains relatively underexplored. This gap is particularly evident in studies of Jin Ping Mei , whose complete English translations have rarely been systematically compared from a register perspective. This study addresses three questions: whether register variation can be identified across three complete English translations of Jin Ping Mei , which linguistic features contribute to such variation, and what may motivate these differences. Using multidimensional analysis, the study compares the three translations across six functional dimensions. ANOVA is employed to test differences in dimensional scores, and 67 lexicogrammatical features are examined to identify the linguistic features contributing to these differences. The results reveal significant variation in five of the six dimensions and show distinct preferences for particular linguistic features across the three translations. Further analysis suggests that these differences are closely related to the translators’ differing purposes and approaches to presenting the source text to English readers. By linking register variation with linguistic choices and translation purposes, this study extends the application of multidimensional analysis to literary translation and provides a systematic basis for comparing different translations of the same source text. It also contributes to a fuller understanding of the English translation and dissemination of Jin Ping Mei .