Analysis Of Translator’s Subjecitivity From Hermeneutics-Case Study On Transaltions Of Raymond Carver’s Short Stories

In the traditional study of translation theory, translator has always been neglected or underestimated as “matchmaker, dancer with shackles, or even translating machine” etc. And translation research has focused only on the meaning and form of the original text and their transference into the target language. Creative aspect of translator has always been underestimated or even neglected. But the translation scene has changed since the “cultural turn” in the late 1970 s. Translation scholars began to put an emphasis on translator’s subjectivity in their translation research.Hermeneutics provides an important theoretical basis for the study of the translator’s subjectivity. Hermeneutics is a philosophical theory which is borrowed into the study of translation for dealing with understanding and interpretation of text. Its purpose is to explain and deepen the meaning of the text, making it easier for target readers to understand.According to the famous German philosopher Hans-George Gadamer, in translation the interpreter and the interpreted are both historical. The interpreted is an intellectual creation of original author’s historical background, while the interpreter is also under the influence of his time’s ideology. The difference and distance between these two historical backgrounds make the discrepancy in understanding and interpretation. The historicity of understanding results in an unavoidable “prejudice”. Because of the historicity of understanding, the original author and the translator each have distinctive horizon. And the translating process is a dynamic fusion of original author’s horizon and that of translator. This process, reflected both on the level of language and culture, requires the manifestation of translator’s subjectivity. But the manifestation of translator’s subjectivity in translating process is not at will but limited and restrained by many factors, including translator’s interest, translator’s linguistic competence of two languages, translator’s cultural consciousness, the purpose of translating and so on.By comparing different Chinese versions of Raymond Carver’s short stories on the theoretical basis of George Steiner’s fourfold Hermeneutic motions, the author of the thesis tries to analyze the manifestation of translator’s subjectivity. The author of the thesis chose three representative short stories by Caver--A Small Good Thing, Vitamin and Cathedral. And three translators-- Xiao Tie, Tang Wei and Song Zhongxu are respectively a professional writer, a feverish fan of Carver and a famous translator.Firstly, translator’s trust on original text consists in his high praise of original text, appreciation of original writer, translating experience, linguistic competence of two languages, cultural consciousness, translating purpose and so on. Secondly, aggression takes place on translator’s understanding and interpretation of original text. Thirdly, incorporation refers to taking home something meaningful from original language and target language on the level of meaning and form. Lastly, translator balances and achieves the final translation by adopting some translating strategies like conversion, addition, deletion, negation and so on.The author of the thesis holds the view that in the fourfold motion of translating process the later two steps-- incorporation(appropriation) and compensation(restitution) carry more weight, because these two motions concern the “re-creation” stage, where translator’s subjectivity has more to say and produces greater effect on the final translating output. The author of the thesis also puts forward some practical translating principles like respecting the source text, emphasizing the target readers’ reception, valuing the role of the translator’s subjectivity, which are of great importance in the practical translation.