Semantic translation and communicative translation are two of
the eight translation approaches proposed by Peter Newmark that have
received the most attention. People often use them to measure the accuracy
of expression and functions. In a literary work, the protagonist holds a pivotal
position, whether the translator manages to completely build the characteristics
portrayed by source language author through target language is one of the signs
that determine the success of translation. From the perspective of semantic
translation and communicative translation, this paper analyzes Eileen Zhang’s
short story Love in a Fallen City and the English version translated by the
famous Sinologist Karen S.Kingsbury, giving examples in four aspects: language,
action, psychology, and portrait description. The research expounds the
difference between ST and CT on the expression of characteristics, summarizes
certain rules and shows direction for future development.