Cultural Translation Studies From The Perspective Of Deconstruction

Cultural translation refers to the process of introducing one culture to another through translation, including the translation of specific cultural elements existing in the original text, in the aim of achieving mutual understanding and equal dialogue. The dissertation starts with the study of cultural translation from the perspective of deconstruction. Taking the two complete English versions of Hong Lou Meng as example, comparing the differences between Chinese and Western thinking modes, the dissertation reveals the similarities and differences between Chinese and Western cultures and the impacts on translation, does some research on translators and various cultural phenomena, summarizes the cultural translation strategies by means of dealing with the addressing terms and family culture. Then through specific corpus analysis, the dissertation indicates the necessity of the diversity in cultural translation strategies, illustrates the translators' subjectivity and the open of the text, reveals the differences and complementation of cultural translation.As a cross-language and cross-cultural communication activity, cultural translation is a kind of integrated activity, involving two or more languages and cultures. The translation problems can not be studied from a single, one-sided perspective, but from a comprehensive, overall point of view. Both the "cultural turn" in translation studies which started from the early 1990s, and the "translation turn" in the field of cultural studies in the late 1990s have bound Culture and Translation even tighter than before. The cultural turn has successfully realized the paradigm shift from studies on pure languages to the studies on cultures and created the interactive relationships between languages and cultures. Cultural turn has transformed translation studies from the prescriptive studies concerning languages to descriptive studies in terms of cultures. With this theory, translation no longer means the sheer conversion of the symbols of two languages, but the prospective of broad cultures for studies and discussion.Deconstruction is based on the criticism of structuralism, with the main feature of digestion, which deconstructs some important concepts of structuralism. Deconstruction is one of the most controversial theory which denys logos, metaphysics, and structuralism in the western world, and challenges the traditional translation theories which intend to establish a system with one center, binary opposition and worship of "the only truth". Deconstruction aims at breaking this one-centered mechanism, and claims that an open pluralistic and tolerant system should be established. Deconstruction Translation Theory summons to break the authority of the author as well as the source text and emphasizes that there should be many versions of translation, and textualism is not necessary. The translator should try to show his creative ability. Moreover, the differences between languages and cultures ought to be thought much than the similarities. Deconstruction gives much attention to the subjectivity of the translator and the open sense of the reading process. Translation studies shouldn't stop at the stage of subversion and destroying of the tradition; it should also focus on the construction after deconstruction.Deconstruction Translation Theory has a tremendous impact on both translation theory and practice. The dissertation compares the similarities and differences between the traditional translation theory and Deconstruction Translation Theory, and tries to analyze the influence of the theory on translation studies, especially on cultural translation studies. Deconstruction of the text implies innovation, and translation can give the text original life. " Differance" implies people's subjectivity. The study aims to apply Deconstruction Translation Theory to cultural translation studies on specific text.Language is regarded as an unified socio-cultural composition of the carrier of culture, while translation is a kind of cross-cultural verbal communication activity on the basis of language (or text). Two kinds of cultural exchanges between the expansion of the cultural horizon and the two cultures expand each other's horizon through the exchange and form a common vision. Therefore, the process of broadening horizon is not only a constant process of deconstruction of each other's culture, but also a continuous deconstruction process of the cultural tradition of its own.In each culture, there are always some universal values, namely, "cultural values," which will determine people's social behavior with a normative nature. The differences in ethics and morality, historical cultural background and worldview between Chinese and Western cultures lead to different values and thinking modes. The Westerners'thinking mode is based on their traditional world outlook----"Separation Between Man and Heaven " while Chinese is on " Integration of Man and Nature ", both have different perspectives and methods to observe things. Something very natural in the eyes of westerners may be impossible for Chinese to accept.The dissertation tries to clarify the differences in Chinese and Western cultures, philosophy and values from the perspective of different thinking mode, explores the influence on translation and the diversity of cultural translation strategy. The translators in different periods can select appropriate translation strategies according to different socio-cultural environment.Translation is the conversion and exchange of information between the source language and the target language, not only the exchange of language but also the migration and communication of culture. Translation activities are related to the original text, the translator, and the reader. Translator's cultural orientation and strategy determine the style of translation, the reader's feedback is based on translator's selection, therefore, the translators are very important. The multilevel nature of the reader and the multiplicity of the reading purpose call for the diversity of the cultural translation strategies. In addition, some factors of the text influence the reader's expectations and acceptance in cultural framework. And the dissertation illustrates the reasons that influence cultural translation strategy from perspective of the translator, the text and the reader, then elaborates the open sense of the text and the translator's subjectivity in deconstruction translation theory.How to deal with the cultural phenomenon of source language in translation, and particularly the unique cultural phenomenon in source language has always been concerned. Venuti proposed that in literary translation, the translator should use two different translation strategies-Domestication and foreignization. Foreignization focuses on conveying information of the original text loyally and domestication on the equivalence of expressive force of translated text. Foreignization is source language culture-oriented while domestication is target language culture-oriented.Hong Lou Meng is an encyclopedia of Chinese culture. Its translation has special value to cultural translation and especially provides the corpus for cultural translation research. The differences of the two full translation versions are restricted to respective cultural factors. The dissertation takes the two versions as example, comparing and analyzing the different translation strategies of Yang's and Hawks'version in coping with specific cultural translation. The Yang's version is inclined to foreignization and the Hawks' version generally poses domestication. Both Yang version's emphasis on source language culture orientation and Hawks on target language culture orientation are the result of cultural translation. But foreignization and domestication are relative from synchronic and diachronic perspective. Different translation methods lead to different inclination of translation strategies in translated versions and different culture orientation also brings diversity of cultural translation strategy selection.The dissertation uses combined method of qualitative and quantitative to comb the translation strategies from different periods of Chinese and Western cultural translation. On the basis of Deconstruction Translation Theory, the study analyses the main influencing factors of strategy selection in cultural translation and compares the relative corpus. Then it takes an insight into randomly selected addressing terms and family cultural words that can reflect cultural differences, compares different translation strategies on different cultural levels. The dissertation reveals the respective cultural disposal inclination of translators as well as the difference and mutual complementation of translated versions.The dissertation is composed of six parts including preface, four chapters and conclusion. The chapters are Chapter One:Cultural Translation and Differences Between Chinese and Western Cultures, Chapter Two:Deconstruction Translation Theory and Deconstruction of Cultural Translation, Chapter Three:Cultural Translation Deconstruction of the English Version of Hong Lou Meng, Chapter Four:Cultural Translation Corpus Comparison of the English Versions of Hong Lou Meng. These chapters are mutually related and supported and form a logically consistent research system in background, theory, perspective and method.The preface introduces the aim, current situation, perspective and method of the research, as well as the structure and innovative points of the dissertation.The first chapter introduces the relationship between language, culture and translation and differences between Chinese and Western cultures. Language is the carrier of culture which reflects the cultural characteristics of the nation and distinguishes its culture. Translation depends itself on language and is a cross-cultural communication activity, an implementation to promote cultural communication. The chapter first reviews the definition of cultural translation, introduces the current situation and the comment on cultural translation, then tries to explore the inner relations and objective law of culture and translation.Also the chapter compares the.differences of culture and thinking modes between Chinese and Western by analyzing the origins, philosophy, values and aesthetics of Chinese and Western culture. By the contrast of Chinese and Western thinking mode and culture, it is clearly exposed that the uniqueness of translator's respective culture has much importance in selection of translation strategy. The translation of cultural factors is a question which poses itself to all cultures that communicate with other cultures, and cultural differences will directly influence translator's comprehension and selection of strategy.The second chapter states the necessity of the existence of diversity of cultural translation strategy from the three standpoints of translation activity---text, translator and reader. Also it deconstructs the selection of cultural translation strategy and subjectivity of the translator. It first states the theoretical basis----Deconstruction Translation Theory and the relationship with cultural translation. Deconstruction Translation Theory holds that the meaning of the original text doesn't reside in the text itself, but in the relations with others. The translator's work is much the same as the writer in revising the existing text. The original text must rely on translated text to acquire an "after life" in new language environment. The emphasis of translation research is not on the language symbol itself but on the other that forms a relation with it, and the vision threshold of translation is enlarged. Deconstruction advocates the translation strategy of foreignization, considering it not only possible but necessary.Then, the chapter compares the traditional translation view with deconstruction translation view and analyzes the theory's practical application and explanatory power. The focus of the chapter is on the cultural translation deconstruction. From the value, culture orientation and style of translator, the dissertation deconstructs the translator's subjectivity; then from the culture, Differance, context of the language, it deconstructs the translated text; and then from the cultural preference, aesthetics and acceptability of the reader, it deconstructs the reader's role in cultural translation. Cultural translation is the result of the translator's motive, and the final product of common function of subjectivity and cultural operation. Translator is restrained by many subjective and objective factors in the course of translation. Translator can use various translation strategies and methods to adapt to them to serve the purpose of translation practice.The third chapter uses two English versions of Hong Lou Meng to analyze the cultural strategy of translation. Comparison of different translators'purpose, cultural standpoint and social environment, different readers'reading purpose, accepting level and cultural background enables it to deconstruct the cultural translation in English versions. The emphasis is on deconstructing the differences of addressing terms and family culture in the English versions. Due to the differences of translating purpose, text type, translators' motivation and target reader, the strategy selections are also different.Cultural strategy of translation is the inclination of translator's choice between domestication and foreignization in handling cultural differences. The chapter points out that strategy diversity evolved from the difference of cultural translation is not only inevitable but also necessary, with regarding to comparison of different translated versions of Hong Lou Meng and analysis of different translator's cultural strategies.The fourth chapter uses corpus bank statistics analysis to conduct comparative research of complementary relations and translation strategies of English versions. With the statistics of both versions'partial word frequencies, the quantitative analysis of words can reveal translation style and characteristics of the text. Then the word frequency comparison of addressing terms with typical cultural features is carried out. The chapter also compares kinship terms and non-kinship terms in detail and analyzes the concrete translation method in different versions. And then it makes analysis of cultural differences of original work and translated version, comparing the two English versions'translation strategies and reader positioning. Finally, the complementation of contents, forms and cultures is explained.The last part is the conclusion. The dissertation applies Deconstruction Translation Theory to deconstruct cultural translation strategy and differences between translated versions on the level of addressing terms from the perspective of the differences between Chinese and Western thinking modes. It compares the styles and characteristics of two versions and proposes the diversity of translation strategies. The translator's initiative and subjectivity will decide the diversity and the selection of translation strategy. The diversity of selection of translation strategy in translation should be encouraged.By the comparison of the two translated versions, the dissertation considers Hawks' version to be closer to reader's comprehension of the original text. Meanwhile Yang Hsien-yi couple's version tends to preserve the original form of the work. The difference of strategy inclination is the foundation of a complementary relationship. According to Deconstruction Translation Theory, as the subjective of translation, translator's role is decisive in the course of translation.The chapter summarizes factors influencing and restraining translators, including translator's cognition of cultural attributes of writer and text; the thinking mode and values of translator; the thinking mode and expectation horizon of translator's target reader; the relative positioning between source language culture and target language culture;strategy selection and method application of translator,etc.Hence, the decisive factor of translation strategy is after all translator himself/herself. And the selection of translation strategy is a subjective course. The dissertation analyzes the concrete cultural translation text of Hong Lou Meng and discusses the culture orientation, social environment, difference in thinking and translation strategies from synchronic and diachronic perspectives. The dissertation deconstructs the cultural translation of Yang's version and Hawks'version of Hong Lou Meng diachronically, which are the concrete embodiment of the theory of semantic open-up of deconstruction. The comparison and analysis of two versions describe the different translation strategies of translators in disposing cultural factors as well as explore the disposition and translation of cultural factors. The focus is on revealing subjectivity of translator, the Differance and diachrony of translated text, the influence and restrain of reader's diachronic interpretation on cultural translation and its selection of strategy. Although the deconstruction selection of translation strategy has certain explanatory power on selection of translation strategy, such power has its limitations.