On Translator's Subjectivity In The Perspective Of Power Discourse Theory

Due to the marginalized position translation stays in, the study at home and abroad on the translator and his positive role has been long neglected. The"cultural turn"in the translation study since 1970s provides the new perspective and approach to Western literary theory and translation theory. More scholars started to pay attention to the translator's subjectivity and adopted various methods to conduct research in it.Power discourse theory is proposed by the French Philosopher Michel Foucault. This theory exerts a profound influence on the study of Western culture, and meanwhile provides a new perspective for translation research. Foucault said: the power refers to all forms of control and pervades every aspect of our lives. Power includes the tangible power, such as the political institution, the legal provision, and the intangible power, such as ideology, ethics, cultural traditions and customs. They constitute such a large network that no one can survive without them. Power is performed with the form of discourse and realized through the discourse, meanwhile people can also use the discourse to get close to and be in charge of power.This thesis examines translator's subjectivity in the perspective of power discourse theory, investigating how the translator's subjectivity is displayed in the dynamic process of translation to best serve the goal of translation and exploring what elements restrict the exertion of translator's subjectivity. Specifically speaking, the translator is restricted by both the social and individual power discourse in the translation. The constraint of social power discourse is mainly manifested in the aspect of social history, economy, ideology, and ethics, while the constraint of individual power discourse is manifested in the aspect of the translator's ambition, unique personalities, and affective factors. Constrained by the theory of power discourse, translator's subjectivity performs three kinds of manifestation, which are the forms of correspondence, resistance and compromise. They are manifested in the aspect of the translator's motivation, choice of materials, the translator's comprehension and interpretation of the original text, translating skills and the translation result.Taking Yan Fu's translation of Evolution and Ethics as an example, translator's subjectivity tends to be the form of compromise. Specific historical environment refers to the failure of Sino-Japanese War in the late 19th century when the imperialist powers started to wildly carve up China. The translation motivation is that Yan Fu wants to wake Chinese up with the theory of evolution --"natural selection, survival of the fittest", and make Chinese realize the urgent national crisis. The original author Huxley thinks that the order of nature is"natural selection, survival of the fittest", but the ethical relationship in the human society is quite different from the law of nature due to different moral standards. Restricted by the power discourse, Yan Fu's comprehension of the theory of evolution is subject to his pre-understanding. He does not accept Huxley's view but Spencer's theory (evolution laws applied to human society) and thinks China is in danger. Therefore, according to his own understanding, he uses three kinds of special approaches to translate: the first one is to choose the original text selectively for spreading the evolutionism from Darwin and Spencer to China; the second one is to add lots of notes to express his view and the third one is to adopt the classical style which is suitable for the reading habit and comprehension of Chinese intellectuals to make them better accept Western culture.The conclusion points out that the translation is not a neutral activity away from power discourse, not a pure equivalent transfer and substitution between texts but a kind of activity closely connected with its power discourse. For the translator, his knowledge and discourse (i.e., the translated version) are manipulated in the current network of power discourse without exception, and pervade in the process of the translator's motivation, choice of materials, his comprehension and interpretation of the original texts and even the formation of the translated version. Hence, the translation activity is no longer immaculate, but with the mark of power discourse.