Translation Of Li Qingzhao's Ci-Poetry: A Perspective Of Hermeneutics

Li Qingzhao was a famous poet in Chinese history, and she was called the most outstanding Ci-poet. So her Cz-poem was translated by many translators many times. Hermeneutics is a kind of theory or philosophy of understanding or interpretation. It has close relationship with translation.In light of hermeneutics, especially George Steiner's fourfold hermeneutic translation motion, this thesis takes Li Qingzhao's Ci-poetry as the case study. It tries to explore the application of the four steps of Steiner's hermeneutic motion in translation of Li Qingzhao's Ci-poetry.There are four parts in this thesis. The first part introduces the origin and development of hermeneutics and several key notions of hermeneutics: fore-understanding, prejudice, effective history, historical interpretation, and fusion of horizons. The second part discusses the relationship between hermeneutics and translation. It deals with traditional views on translation and views of translation from the perspective of hermeneutics, and introduces the fourfold hermeneutic motion. In the third part, the thesis briefly introduces Li Qingzhao and her Ci-poetry, as well as the different translation versions home and abroad. The fourth part is the most important part, which uses many examples to prove the important instructive function of hermeneutics for translation of Li Qingzhao's Ci-poetry.Steiner thinks that all translations begin with translator's "trust" and choice of the original text. The translator must trust that there is something meaningful and sensible to be translated, or the translation can realize his purpose. The second step of translation is aggression. According to Steiner, translators cannot neglecting his time and background. The "aggression" is positive, and it makes the readers of the translated text get close to the original text's horizon. Steiner divides the third step incorporation into two kinds: incorporation of meaning and incorporation of form. This thesis takes many examples to illustrate the different emphasizes of different translators during the process of incorporation. A whole translation is ended with "compensation". During "aggression" and "incorporation" processes, there are inevitably some deficiencies, so translator must do some compensation to "make endeavors to restore the balance of forces, of integral presence, which his appropriative comprehension has disrupted."(Steiner, 2001: 318)...