What Data Can Reveal in Analyzing Literature<br>—A Corpus-Based Study on Two Chinese Translations of <i>A</i><i> Room of One’s Own</i> at the Lexical Level

Quantitative methods have empowered researchers with new perspectives to assume, test, and interpret what can hardly be analyzed through manual reading. This study employs corpora and data processing techniques to analyze and compare the discourse of A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf and its two Chinese translations by Zhou Yingqi and Jia Huifeng, respectively. WordSmith and Python are used for data processing and statistical analysis for quantitative examination at lexical levels. The study disclosed a paradox of Woolf’s stylistic complexity versus her low lexical diversity that may not have been adequately clarified in previous studies. The statistical findings offered a data-driven explanation for this apparent contradiction. The comparison also unveiled the diverse translation strategies employed by different translators due to their varying interpretations of the source novel and the distinct ideological positions or communicative goals that have informed their choices.