Translation Is A Medium Of Cultural Exchange

Xu Chongxin(1919—1999)was a well-known contemporary Chinese translator. All through his life, he translated or participated in translating nearly 20 books, which were divergent in types and forms, such as poems, prose, memoirs, historical works, philosophical works and linguistic works.Xu Chongxin was born in a farmer's family. When he was young, he used to go to a traditional private school in his hometown. In 1936, he went to Shantou Haibing Middle School to learn English and maths for supplementary schooling. In 1940, he entered the Foreign Languages Department of the National Northwest University, majoring in Russian. Therefore, he had a good command of ancient Chinese and English and Russian literature. This thesis is to present a general view of Xu Chongxin's achievements in translation theory and practice under the theme of "Cultural Exchange". Xu Chongxin wrote 21 articles on translation theories throughout his life. In the article Cultural Exchange and Translation, he pointed out that "the purpose and characteristics of translation lie in cultural and ideological exchanges." This further develops the motivation of translation proposed by Lu Xun and Mao Dun. He also placed great emphasis on the significance of translation, especially the significance of social science translation, which, he believed, had "become the symbol of social progress and the most powerful means of the assimilation of new things and achievements as well as cultural exchange."1 With regard to the academic definition of translation, Xu Chongxin held that "modern literary translation theory is a unique intermediate science based on the study of linguistics and the art of literature."2 Xu Chongxin insisted that it is impossible for the translator to totally transfer foreign languages, as well as the cultures they convey, into the target language. In order to solve the problem of "gain" and "loss", he proposed his new standard, "the unification of imitation and creation", namely, "the art of translation is a combination of imitation(duplication)and creation"3As for the responsibility of a good translator, Xu Chongxin pointed out that he "should understand both the author and the reader and be responsible to them. The translator should become a bridge that links two cultures."4 At the same time, he also creatively presented the concepts of "the Transgression of the Author" and "the Transgression of the Reader",5 which not only correct the assertion that the translator should substitute the author, but also remedy the defects of the Receptor's Response Theory that the translator should cater for the readers one-sidedly. Besides, he also raised some basic requirements for the translator and held that a translator should not only be an "expert" in the special knowledge relating to the materials he is translating and in translation theories and practice, but be a "Jack-of-all-trades" on other subjects as well.With regard to the relationship between literal translation and free translation, Xu Chongxin preferred the former with free translation as a supplementary means and pointed out its five characteristics:(1)taking sentence as the unit of translation;(2)avoiding using transferred meaning when dealing with the translation of words;(3)allowing the changes of word order, parts of speech and sequence of various elements in a sentence;(4)using free translation on some special occasions;(5)paying close attention to the form when translating.Xu Chongxin maintained that there are problems relating to the "interior" and the "exterior" and their relationship in the process of translating. "By 'interior', we mean the language itself of a literary work.…By 'exterior', we mean the emotional overtones, background sentiments or implications. It also includes such things as 'romantic charm' and artistic imagery."6 In a sense, their contradiction is between the form and contents of a literary work. However, they are in close unity in the original text. It is the task of the translator to rebuild this unity within the fra...