The Role Of Ideology In The Manipulation Of Literary Translation

With the advent of the Culture School in the translating circle of Western countries, the important shift------Cultural Turn in translation studies was gradually established in the 1970s. The Culture School attaches great importance to the influence of target culture on the actual practice of translation. It aims at exploring translation practice from complex perspectives, such as social environment, historical background and cultural context. In a sense, some leading scholars of the Culture School open up a new horizon for translation studies. Among them Andre Lefevere is a prominent representative of the Culture School. This thesis focuses on the theory of ideology illustrated by Andre Lefevere in his famous monograph, Translation, Rewriting and the Manipulation of Literary Fame. Lefevere points out in this book that translation is actually the process of rewriting of source language message under the twofold influence of dominant ideology and prevailing poetics during a given period of time.This thesis attempts to discover the great influence of mainstream ideology on the actual practice of translation during a certain period. Within the framework of Lefevere's rewriting theory, this thesis takes the case study of Ezra Pound's Cathay as a basis for discussion. To be more specific, ideology's influence on literary translation can be analyzed in the following three respects, i.e. the selection of original texts for translation, the adoption of translation strategies, and the choice of language and style for translation. At the same time, this paper argues that translators'subjectivity or individual ideology cannot be neglected in the process of translation. Under the effect of ideologically related factors, translators are requested to rewrite the original work to some extent in order to make it comply with the dominant ideology of a specific time. In this respect, the process of translation is not the simple transition of words or phrases at linguistic level, but the profound exchange of message at cultural level. This thesis begins with a clarification of the previous studies at home and abroad concerning the relationship between ideology and translation, pointing out that scholars both in China and in the West have reached a consensus on theoretical level that ideology has an objective and unavoidable influence on literary translation. Next this thesis gives a holistic introduction to Lefevere's rewriting theory and analyzes three major factors, i.e. ideology, patronage, and poetics which influence literary translation. Then this paper continues the discussion by reviewing the relevant studies on Pound's Cathay. And a brief comment on Ezra Pound and his Cathay is also provided.Through comparative analyses and illustrative examples, this paper comes to a final conclusion that dominant ideology of a specific time gives certain influence over literary translation. This kind of influence is inevitable in the process of translation. Dominant ideology and translator's individual ideology, if they are combined together, will constitute a leading force in manipulating or rewriting literary outputs. It is of great importance to study translation from the angle of ideology, which may become the major trend in the future studies of culture and translation. Observing translation practice against social and cultural background helps equip us with a fresher perspective and wider space to better understand literary translation, but also provides us with a more significant criterion to reevaluate the status of translator and translated works.