A Study On The Diasporic Translator’s Cultural Identity And Translation Behavior From The Perspective Of Postcolonialism

In recent years,the notion of diaspora has become a rising concern in postcolonial studies.Due to the experience of diaspora,diasporic translators know well the differences between the culture of their native countries and the culture of the diasporic countries.Thus they can serve as a bridge for cross-cultural communication.Moreover,influenced by their multiple cultural identities which differentiate diasporic translators from other translators,diasporic translators hold complex feelings towards their native countries,constructing various images of their native countries in their works.Figuring out diasporic translators’ cultural identity is conducive to better understand their translation activities amid an even more complex social environment at large.Under the influence of both the diasporic experience and the culture of his native country,Lin Yutang,living in a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society,forms his distinctive cultural identity.In the context of postcolonialism,the colonized culture is marginalized and ignored.However,Lin persists in introducing the traditional Chinese culture to the colonial countries,with his translation of the Chinese classical work Fushengliuji as a typical example.In his works,he presents a different image of China to the Western world to change their stereotypes.His translation behavior cannot be separated from the influence of his cultural identity.The thesis consists of five parts.In the first part,the research background,significance,purpose,and the overall structure of the thesis are introduced.In the second part,this study makes an overview of the postcolonial translation studies,the current research on diasporic translation,and cultural identity as well as Lin Yutang and his Six Chapters of a Floating Life.In the third part,Lin’s cultural identity is explored,including his attitude toward the culture of his native country.In the fourth part,mainly by means of detailed textual analysis,the translation strategies and techniques adopted in Lin’s Six Chapters of a Floating Life are analyzed to figure out his intentions in his translation activities.Lastly,several findings are summarized.Firstly,the cultural identity of the diasporic translator Lin presents the characteristics of hybridity and ambivalence.Secondly,in Lin’s translation practice,he tries to promote a dialogue between the culture of his native country and the Western culture on anequal footing.It is concluded that Lin’s cultural identity influences or even shapes the image of China constructed in his translation works to a great extent.