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On The Translator’s Habitus:a Bourdieusian Perspective On The Translation Of Lu Xun’s Fictions:Old Stories Retold

Posted on:2015-01-01Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:Y WuFull Text:PDF
GTID:2255330428968693Subject:Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
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This thesis analyzes the translations of Old Stories Retold by Yang Xianyi&Gladys Yang and Julia Lovell, under the guidance of Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological model. Bourdieu’s sociological concepts of habitus, field and capital are adopted as the fundamental framework of the study. This thesis is designed to investigate the translator’s habitus and the influence of socio-cultural variables on the translator’s habitus.To fulfill this aim, investigations of the translators’ practices are conducted on both micro-structural and macro-structural levels. In the micro-structural investigation, the data of culture-specific items (CSIs) are collected from the source text and analyzed based on Aixela’s categorization of CSI translation procedures. The results reveal a general habitus of conservation tendency in both translators when coping with CSIs. And by comparing the two versions, the Yangs’ translation is found to be more faithful to the original than Lovell’s. And Lovell’s translation is more fluent than the Yangs’.The macro-structural investigation was conducted by analyzing the translators’ translation fields and capitals in order to research which socio-cultural variables influence the translator’s decision-making process and help to develop their habitus. The evidences are collected from Yang Xianyi’s autobiography, interview with Julia Lovell and other published papers. The main finding indicates that the translator’s habitus is conditioned by the cultural background and education, working condition, social network and social status.The rise of the sociology of translation in recent years initiated this study. This study is deploying Bourdieusian concepts to analyze the translators’ strategies in translating the Old Stories Retold, providing a further sociological insight into translation phenomena.
Keywords/Search Tags:Old Stories Retold, translator, Bourdieu, habitus, sociology
PDF Full Text Request
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