On The Translator's Subjectivity In Chinese Classical Poetry Translation In The Light Of Hermeneutics

As a part of China's cultural heritage, Chinese classical poetry is the cream of Chinese ancient civilization. It plays an important role in the cultural transmission to the western world. Being endowed with abundant symbolic significance and profound implication, Chinese classical poetry is a mixture of poets' thoughts, feelings and cultural consciousness in a certain period of Chinese history. For the past few decades, the research of Chinese classical poetry translation in China has made great achievements. Still, there are some problems.Traditional translation theory regards "faithfulness" and "equivalency" as the criteria of translation. Thus, the subjective activities of translators are always neglected. When applying the traditional translation theory to the translation of Chinese classic poetry, translators tend to overemphasize the importance of the reproduction of original poem, but pay no attention to pluralistic interpretations of the original poem, the subjectivity of translator, reader's acceptance, etc. In consequence, one-sidedness and theoretical limitations cannot be avoided.Since 1980s, the translation research is not confined to the conversion of language anymore. It turns to the research of culture. As a result, people are paying more and more attention to translators. Translator's subjectivity and dynamic role are accepted by many people. And the translation of Chinese classical poetry comes into a new era.However, when too much emphasis is put on the importance of translator's subjectivity in the translation process, especially in Chinese classical poetry translation, other factors in the translation process will be ignored. The translation will get to another extremity: translator becomes another author. Thus his/her translation is almost a new one. Although theory of translator's subjectivity does play a key role in the research of Chinese classical poetry translation, it should be analyzed the light of Hermeneutics.Hermeneutics, in approaching the understanding and interpretation of the textual meaning, is a kind of culture trend of thought, methodology or philosophy. Hans-Georg Gadamer's Philosophical Hermeneutics provides a new perspective on the translation theory. It invigorates translator's subjectivity. Some key notions such as Historicity of Understanding, Horizon of Expectation, Fusion of Horizons, are very important in analyzing the translator's subjectivity in literary translation, especially in Chinese classical poetry translation. This thesis attempts to explore the display of translator's subjectivity in Chinese classical poetry translation process in the light of Hermeneutics. The key notions like Historicity of Understanding, Horizon of Expectation, and Fusion of Horizons will be introduced and employed to help form an overall, detailed picture of the whole translation process of Chinese classical poetry.