The Theory Of Adaptation And Intentional Treason In Translation

On the basis of Verschueren's theory of adaptation, this paper approaches translator's subjectivity and creativity underlying intentional treason in translation, aiming at a fresh probe into the function and influence of the translator (who is the subject of translation) in translation practice.The paper at first conducts a retrospect of various views in translation studies on translation criterion, creative treason and translator's subjectivity. Traditional studies have concentrated more on source texts and translation techniques, ignoring or even denying the subjectivity and creativity of the translator, who has long been regarded as inferior to the author and the original text. Fidelity is agreed upon as the dominant standard for translation. However, the inevitable language and cultural differences make absolute fidelity impossible and creative treason unavoidable in translation. The "Cultural Turn" in Translation Studies has brought increasing attention to the translator's obtrusion in translating process, studying translator's subjectivity and creativity from various angles such as modern hermeneutics, Skopos Theory, Polysystem Theory and deconstructionism. Thus the translator is theoretically identified as the purposeful and creative subject of translation.The translator's identity in translating process is multiple, a reader of the source text while a rewriter and creator of the target text; an intentional decision-maker while a culture intermediator and reformer. Based on the argument about the translator's identity, Chapter II states that translation in essence is creative treason and the translator is a creative traitor. Translator's subjectivity and creativity is brought to its full play in creative treason.Chapter III introduces basic concepts of the theory of adaptation. According to the theory, language use consists of a continuous making of linguistic choices with different degrees of salience for the purpose of adaptation. Inspired by Verschueren, this paper proposes that translation is a process of making adaptation with regard to linguistic structure and context in a dynamic way at various levels of salience. Adaptation between linguistic structure and context is largely adaptation between language and culture. The three properties of language, i.e. variability, negotiability and adaptability, can explain and help to understand principles and strategies underlying creative treason.Based on previous discussion, Chapter IV probes into intentional treason from four angles of pragmatic investigation: contextual correlates of adaptability, structural objects of adaptability, dynamics of adaptability, and salience of the adaptation processes. Intentional treason is the successful making of adaptation under circumstances where direct linguistic transcoding or cultural transfer is difficult. Cultural elements are the major contextual correlates of adaptability, under the influence of which the translator makes dynamic choices concerning structural objects of adaptability in all layers of linguistic structure in an attempt to reach his specific translational purpose. Since contextual correlates of adaptability and structural objects of adaptability are in constant change, dynamics of adaptability is bound to be the core of the whole process of choice-making. In this process, the three major factors of salience involving the translator's purpose, ethic values and language ideology determine intentional treason to be the product of high levels of salience.The theory of adaptation sheds a new light on the study of translator's creativity and subjectivity from a fresh perspective of pragmatics. From the theory there are two implications. One is that the translator is fully entitled to adopt flexible translation strategies and to display his creativity in accordance with specific contexts and the goal of translation. The other is that there is no distinction between right and wrong in the existing translation strategies. As a means of making adaptation, each of them is of its unique value in translation practice.