The Study Of The English Version Of Life And Death Are Wearing Me Out From The Perspective Of Rewriting Theory

Life and death are wearing me out is a novel belonging to Chinese modern and contemporary literature. Its author is Mo Yan, the first Chinese writer having ever won Nobel Prize in literature in Chinese history. The Nobel committee once said that a great many college students around the world would possibly read his novels; thus a recommended work would be preferred. As a result, Mo Yan recommended this one which was shortly published in Sweden."This book can represent my writing style in all directions as well as my exploration made in artistic features of novels." Life and death are wearing me out depicts the50years’history of China’s rural area from1950to2000. Centering on the heavy topic of land, it presents a whole picture of the relationship between farmers and the land and at the same time it displays the living conditions of Chinese farmers and their spirits of indomitability, optimism and tenacity since the foundation of new China through the artistic image of reincarnation.The English version of this novel was produced by a well-known sinologist Howard Goldblatt, who is the outstanding translator of Chinese modern and contemporary literature. So far, he has completed the translation of about50works of Chinese modern and contemporary literature, most of which have achieved all kinds of international awards. He is also the primary English translator of Mo Yan’s works. In addition to Mo Yan’s proficient writing skills, unique literary cultivation and narrative perspective, the translator also contributes a lot to the success and popularity of Life and death are wearing me out to the outside world. The translation plays an ineffaceable role in the transmission of Chinese literature to the world as well as the understanding and recognition by more nations and cultures around the globe.With the coming of cultural turn in translation, translation studies cannot only be confined to the transformation in the linguistic level any longer. Instead, it is more about the transition between two cultures, ideologies, histories, politics, literature,etc. Consequently, the scope of translation studies can be greatly broadened and translation studies as an independent discipline can be accelerated. The rewriting theory from cultural turn in translation is the significant factor in manipulating translating process. The rewriting theory proposed by Lefevere holds that translation can not happen in vacuum. Translation is rewriting or the manipulation to the original text, which is the result of the mutual effect of three control factors in literary systems: patrons, ideology and poetics.The translation of modern and contemporary Chinese literature works is bound to be responsible for the target readers with quite different cultural backgrounds. Therefore, it is manipulated by the dominant poetics and ideology of the culture from which the target readers come as to how to make the translation works acceptable and furthermore wide-spread among the readers. The requirements from the patrons of the English version also reflect the dominant poetics and ideology of their culture. Besides, one of Goldblatt’s translation viewpoints in translating modern and contemporary Chinese literature is that "The nature of translation is rewriting". Hence, it is appropriate to employ rewriting theory to analyze the reasons why the English version of Life and death are wearing me out is popular in the English world. Nevertheless, the essay also points out that the original text shouldn’t be overlooked and the influence of poetics, ideology and patronage should not be over-exaggerated. Instead, rewriting where it is necessary and valuable should be done on the basis of full respect to the source text.Through the comparative analysis of both Chinese and English versions of Life and death are wearing me out, this paper studies how the three control factors of rewiting theory manipulate its English translation and meanwhile summarizes good rewriting strategies for more quality literary works with national features to enter into the world and to be understood and accepted by more cultures. In addition, further explanation as well as progress are hoped to be made in this paper in order to promote the mutual development and progress in both translation theory and practice.