The Translator’s Subjectivity In The English Translation Of Shengsi Pilao From The Perspective Of Hermeneutics

With the improvement of China’s international status, there is a growing demand for the "going out" of Chinese literature. Translation, as a bridge of cross-cultural communication, is a primary means to realize this goal. As the subject of translation activity, translators play a vital role in the process of translating. Nevertheless, they have long been in a marginalized status, being labeled as "servants", "matchmakers" or "the invisible men". It was not until the appearance of the "cultural turn" in translation studies that they became visible and their subjectivity, creativity and initiative began to gain respect. Besides, an increasing number of translation theorists initiated their studies on the translator’s subjectivity from various perspectives.Chinese novelist Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2012, being the first Chinese to obtain this precious prize. Howard Goldblatt, serving as his premier English translator, helps tremendously in Mo Yan’s winning of this prize. He has translated nearly ten of Mo Yan’s novels, all of which are well-received. Compared with Mo Yan’s earlier works such as The Red Sorghum, The Garlic Ballads, and Big Breast & Wide Hips, Shensi Pilao, which was created by him in 2006, was not outstanding in both sales and popularity. By contrast, among Mo Yan’s many translated works, Goldblatt’s English translation of this novel-Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out-is the one that has obtained the most awards in the Western literary field. By applying the relevant hermeneutic concepts, and taking Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out as a case study, the present study probes into the manifestations of ’Goldblatt’s subjectivity in the translation of this novel from the angle of the four hermeneutic steps, pointing out that Goldblatt’s success in the translation of this novel greatly lies in his reasonable exercise of the translator’s subjectivity.This thesis is composed of three chapters besides an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction clarifies the background and significance of the research and describes the main research methods. Chapter One gives a brief introduction to Shensi Pilao and its English translation. Besides, it gives a review of Goldblatt’s views on translation as well as the present studies on its translation. Chapter Two explores the application of relevant hermeneutic concepts to the study of the translator’s subjectivity. Hermeneutics is a philosophy that deals with understanding and explanation. Its similarity with translation enables it to serve as a solid foundation for translation studies. "Prejudice" and "fusion of horizon" proposed by Gadamer gives forceful proof to the translator’s subjectivity. "Prejudice" or "pre-understanding" is historical. Excellent translators always try to expand and adjust their horizon so as to achieve the best "fusion of horizon" with the author’s, thus producing the best translated texts. By absorbing modern hermeneutic concepts, Steiner further proposed his famous fourfold hermeneutic motion, i.e. trust, aggression, incorporation and compensation, each of which providing boundless room for translators to display their subjectivity. Chapter Three, taking examples from Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, analyzes in detail how Goldblatt exhibited the translator’s subjectivity in the above-mentioned four steps. The conclusion makes a summary and reflection of the research findings, pointing out that the exercise of the translator’s subjectivity is the key to the success of translation; nevertheless, it should be constrained to a reasonable degree.