On The Translator’s Subjectivity In Howard Goldblatt’s Translation Of Life And Death Are Wearing Me Out In Light Of George Steiner’s Hermeneutic Motion

More and more excellent Chinese literary works are being introduced into the West through translations. Howard Goldblatt, an American sinologist who knows quite well about Chinese culture, has translated and published a number of works written by prominent writers from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, including many works of Mo Yan, the first Nobel Prize for Literature winner in China. Goldblatt’s translations gain wide acclaim and it is without doubt that Goldblatt’ contribution to the spread of Chinese literature is great and Mo Yan should attribute much of his fame in the West to Goldblatt. An in-depth analysis of Goldblatt’s subjectivity displayed in his translations is much needed to figure out the subjective reasons for his success and to promote the "going out" of Chinese literary works.Since the "cultural turn" in the West in the1970s, many new translation theories have emerged. The translator’s position and contribution in the translation activity has gained increasing attention. The translator’s subjectivity has become a research hotspot in the field of translation studies and many scholars have studied it from various angles. Hermeneutics, a theory about the understanding and interpretation of meaning, not only expands the perspective of translation studies, but also deepens people’s understanding of the role of the translator. As the latest research achievement of hermeneutics, George Steiner’s fourfold hermeneutic motion provides a new theoretical basis and research approach to the study of the translator’s subjectivity.The present thesis studies the manifestation of the translator’s subjectivity in Goldblatt’s translation of Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out from the perspective of George Steiner’s fourfold hermeneutic motion. After the literature review and the theoretical framework, the thesis is devoted to carrying out a thorough study on Goldblatt’s subjectivity reflected in his translation of Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out. A number of examples are carefully selected to unveil the display of the translator’s subjectivity from Steiner’s four motions:trust, aggression, incorporation and compensation. This can also be seen as the possible innovation and significance of the present research. The thesis integrates theory with textual analyses, and is a beneficial attempt in promoting relevant studies on the translator’s subjectivity and in expanding research perspectives of the English version.