On Translator's Subjectivity From The Perspective Of George Steiner's Hermeneutic Motion

Hermeneutics originates from philosophy and throughout the years,it has developed into an independent discipline.There is a strong tie between hermeneutics and translation,as both of these two fields of study concern the understanding and interpretation of sense.Heidegger's “pre-understanding” as well as Gadamer's “prejudice”,“fusion of horizons”,and “effective history” provide translation studies with fresh perspectives and deepen the understanding of translator's role.George Steiner is the first person to introduce philosophical hermeneutics into translation studies by formulating a self-contained translation model: the Hermeneutic Motion.Within the theoretical framework of George Steiner's Hermeneutic Motion,the thesis reveals that the essence of translation is understanding and interpretation.And the translator reproduces the original meaning through his/her own interpretation and the use of creativity.An in-depth investigation is made into how translator's subjectivity is demonstrated in two Chinese translations of A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway in the quadruple movements—trust,aggression,incorporation,and restitution.The two Chinese versions of the novel presented here are translated by Lin Yijin and Tang Yongkuan.Many examples are drawn from the two versions to show the important role of translator's subjectivity in the fourfold translation motion.There are five chapters in this thesis.Chapter One introduces research background,questions,and approaches.Chapter Two is literature review about translator's subjectivity at home and abroad,followed by a summary of available literature on the work and its Chinese translations.Chapter Three is the theoretical basis for the case study in the following chapter.It begins with a historical overview of hermeneutics and major hermeneutic conceptions developed by representative philosophers,leading to the kernel theory of this dissertation,the Hermeneutic Motion.Chapter Four applies the theory to the translated works to examine how the two translators' subjectivity is in operation in light of George Steiner's quadruple translation model.The cause and effect of the involvement of subjectivity will also be discussed.Chapter Five is conclusion summarizing key findingsand potential limitations.