A Study Of Translator’s Subjectivity In Goldblatt’s Translation Of Life And Death Are Wearing Me Out

With Mo Yan’s winning of Nobel Prize in Literature, a heated discussion about Mo Yan and his works has emerged in the literature world, both home and abroad. As the most remarkable English translator for Mo Yan’s works, Howard Goldblatt has also drawn much attention. A good translation can help to spread Chinese literature and thus Chinese culture. Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, a typical local novel of Mo Yan, won extreme popularity in America, even more popular than in China.From the perspective of translator’s subjectivity, this thesis analyzes Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, an English version translated by Goldblatt. In the thesis, a texts comparison is made, in order to find out the influence of translator’s subjectivity produced during the translation process. After analysis and comparison, it is found that Goldblatt presents his subjectivity mainly through alteration in narrative perspective, changes of language, precise translation of cultural elements and artistic creativity with antithesis and rhyme. Such alterations and changes help make Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out a big hit in America. Besides a texts comparison and following analysis, this thesis also studies the contributing factors to translator’s subjectivity as reflected in Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out. According to Professor Zha, translator’s subjectivity "distinguishes one from another by translator’s cultural awareness, personality and aesthetic creativity". As for Howard Goldblatt, his respect for the writer and the original text, his sensitivity to cultural differences, his skills in writing and aesthetic creativity— all of them contribute to his great success in translation.By presenting a thorough study on Goldblatt’s translation of Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out, this thesis aims to find out how Goldblatt, keeps balance between being faithful to the original meaning and making creative changes in presentation. It is hoped that through such analysis and study, some inspiring suggestions can be made for future translation of Chinese literature, which may promote the "going out" of Chinese culture.