A Comparative Study On Two Chinese Versions Of Tender Is The Night From The Perspective Of Hermeneutics

There exists a close and intrinsic relationship between hermeneutics and the literary translating studies, in which we can find the former overlaps with the latter in a significant way in terms of the objects and scope they deal with. In fact, interpretation is the soul of literary translation, which is fundamentally a process of aesthetical re-creation completed through a translator’s interpretation. In Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics, interpretation runs through the entire process of translation activity. Considering the openness and indeterminateness of the literary text, its interpretation is somehow more arbitrary than other types of texts. This paper makes a comparative study of two translation versions of Tender Is the Night from the perspective of Han-Geord Gadamer’s hermeneutics-historical Interpretation, fusion of horizons and prejudice, and discusses the embodiment and activity of these notions.This thesis begins with an introduction to the author’s research background, the significance of the study and the research methods of the thesis. Then, it provides a profile of the two Chinese versions of Tender is the night and the Hermeneutics. According to Hans-Geord Gadamer, interpretation of all texts is historical. He assumes that both the interpreter and the interpreted works are historical existence. Interpretation is no more than the interpreter’s unique historical "lingering" of the interpreted works. More over, it is impossible to make completely objective interpretation. Therefore, misunderstanding is perennial. The historical interpretation leads to prejudice, including misunderstanding. Gadamer greatly affirms the significance of prejudice, which he assumes, constituents the historical interpretation. Both the interpreter and the interpreted texts have their own respective horizons. It is necessary that translators should try to approach the initial horizons of the author to achieve the fusion of horizons. Fusion of horizons is based on the historical differentiation. It has revealed the exists of cultural filtering and why it is unavoidable.Next, the paper will introduce the famous author-Francis Fitzgerald and the two translators respectively. Francis Fitzgerald was an eminent writer in the late19th century in America. Tender Is the Night, one of the most popular and best loved English novels created by Francis Fitzgerald, has been interpreted by some Chinese translators. The author chooses two of those versions:one is interpreted by Wang Ning and the other by Tang Xinmei. Wang Ning and Tang Xinmei are under different historical backgrounds and their versions definitely have their unique features because of their own subjectivities. Last but not least, a comparative analysis will be made between the two translated texts from some key perspectives of "historicity of understanding","fusion of horizons" and "prejudice".From the comparative analysis between these two translated works, we can come to the conclusion that the interpretation of a certain text is various. Different times, environments and perspectives will make various prejudice or misunderstanding. A translation is no more than a product of the prejudice of its own era. A good translated text should be a suitable prejudice of its own age. Hermeneutics can effectively translate and analyze some translation phenomena influenced and created by the historical, social and cultural context, particularly suitable for the investments of different translations produced many years ago or in different social, historical and cultural backgrounds. It sheds a new light on translation criticism, making it more polysystemic and lenient.