The Realization Of The Translator's Subjectivity In Literary Translation

In a rather long period of time, people's knowledge about translation has been limited to the linguistic level, whether in Eastern or Western countries. The labor of translators is often not acknowledged by publishers or remembered by readers, and very few translators' names is widely known in literary history. Since the 1970s, with the "cultural turn" in translation studies, the subjectivity of the translator has become a currently heated subject. Translation studies shift from normative studies to descriptive studies, finding a new way for the study of the translator's subjectivity. Some theories, such as Poly-system theory, Skopos theory and deconstruction focus the study on the translated text and the culture of the target language, and thereby greatly pushing forward the study of the translator's subjectivity.However, many studies about the translator's subjectivity are limited to the level of theory. The thesis will support strongly the status of the translator's subject in the process of translating and elaborate how translators realize their subjectivity through comparing the two translated versions of Shakespeare's plays.The thesis will discuss the translator's subjectivity from the perspective of Hermeneutics and its extended theory—George Steiner's fourfold translation motion. The author spends two main chapters applying the two theories into the analysis of the two translated versions of Shakespeare's plays. In Chapter Four, the author firstly introduces the information of the two translators, including their different experiences, educational and social backgrounds, and then macroscopically analyzes how the translator's subjectivity influences translation style and the translator's language features. In Chapter Five, the thesis applies George Steiner's famous translation fourfold motion (trust, aggression, incorporation and compensation) to the analysis of the two translated texts and microscopically discusses how translators realize their subjectivities in the process of translation. Zhu Shenghao and Liang Shiqiu are all famous translation theorists, and they all greatly contribute to Shakespearean translation, but because of their different experiences, educational and social backgrounds, there is clear distinction between their translated versions. It is safe to say in a sense that Zhu Shenghao adopts free translation method while Liang Shiqiu adopts literal translation method. In other words, Zhu's version is a popular Chinese-culture-oriented edition, and Liang's version can be considered as a companion to Shakespeare that is English-culture-oriented.In conclusion, the thesis introduces a scientific method—modern Hermeneutics to the research of the translator's subjectivity, and it is proved that Hermeneutics and its extended theory—George Steiner's fourfold translation motion are effective in the analysis of the translator's subjectivity. The thesis aims at promoting the translator's social status and better guiding translation practice.