Application Of Rewriting Theory To The Translations Of Late Qing Dynasty

Traditional study on translation has generally been source-oriented, focusing on text comparison and translation criteria. Fidelity to the original is usually regarded as the only standard to evaluate the translated texts. As a result of the development of descriptive and system-oriented approaches in translation, which were elaborated in the 1970s, translation has been viewed in a broad cultural context. The emergence of Manipulation School widens the scope of translation studies and employs a new methodology for further research.As one of the key figures of Manipulation School, Andre Lefevere's rewriting theory is one of significant achievements of translation studies. He states that society is a super-system, or the environment of a literary system, whereas literature is one of the subsystems, or system of systems. These systems interact with and exert impact on each other. Rewriting is one of the means by which the survival of literary works is ensured. He especially puts great emphasis on the role of three control factors in the process of translation:inside the literary system are ideology and poetics, and outside the system is patronage. Translators adapt and manipulate the originals to make them fit in with the dominant ideological, poetical current and the need of patrons.The essay is to conduct some research into Lin Shu's Kuai Rou Yu Sheng Shu from the perspective of Lefevere's rewriting theory,aiming at interpreting how cultural context manipulates the process of literary translation in Late Qing Dynasty, including the choice of source texts and translation strategies. In the light of rewriting theory, the thesis puts the great translator---Lin Shu---into the wider social context and analyzes the factors which influence his translation strategies. Through my research, we find that if we compare the original and Lin Shu's translated version of Kuai Rou Yu Sheng Shu lexically, some parts can be labeled as mistranslations. However, when we put the translation under a broader cultural context, they are translated with good reasons. By exploring the underlying reasons of Lin Shu's rewriting of western literature under the control of Chinese social ideology and poetics, the author hopes that more attention should be put to the research of cultural factors in the process of translation studies.The thesis consists of introduction, the main body (three chapters), and conclusion.It begins with the introductory part, stating the present state of the relevant studies in this field and the purpose of my study. The structure of the thesis is also introduced.Chapter one is a literature review of the"cultural turn"in translation studies. The author introduces Andre Lefevere's rewriting theory and explains how three control factors---ideology, poetics and patronage--- manipulate on literary translation practice in diverse ways. Other relevant theories of Manipulation School are also reviewed as the base for rewriting theory.Chapter two gives a detailed study on translated literature in Late Qing Dynasty to manifest the fact that three control factors manipulate literary translation to a great extent. Characteristics of translated literature in Late Qing Dynasty are explored.Chapter three is a case study of deliberate mistranslations of Lin Shu's representative works Kuai Rou Yu Sheng Shu. By way of a comparative study of the source text and the Chinese version as the target text, the author mainly focuses on his linguistic characteristics and unique rewriting strategies, such as omission, adaptation, addition, and abridgement. It is obvious that Lin Shu's translation is manipulated by various closely interrelated cultural constraints in his time.The last part is the conclusion in which the enlightenment of the research is expounded.