Translating literary works into English differs from translating general documents because of the rich rhetorical techniques used in the former. To ensure that the evocative connotations of words and meanings are translated precisely, it is important to understand the techniques and rhetorical skills used in literary works. “Mountain” is a Chinese magazine about hiking, climbing and natural scenery, and its articles present the aesthetics of nature through colorful depictions of the natural world using the rhetoric of conversion and vivid descriptions. For this reason, it is worthwhile exploring the art of the text and rhetoric of conversion, to understand them in relation to the English translation. This study applied qualitative research methods to the magazine’s content, and summarized four types of personification used to describe the natural world. The study should be useful to Chinese-English translators by providing information regarding the use of personification, so that they can preserve the literary art of aesthetics and liveliness expressed through the applied techniques.

Keywords: rhetoric of conversion, personification, English translation, literary works

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