Translation Manipulation And Xin, Da, Ya

Widely regarded as one of the most important and influential translators and translation theorists in modern China, Yan Fu (1853-1921) was also the first Chinese enlightenment thinker to introduce comprehensively western thoughts to China. His translated works, particularly eight of them, were popular with intellectuals of his time, and his translation criteria "Xin, Da, Yd" have been regarded by many as the "Golden Rule" in Chinese translation history, providing a useful guide to translation theory and practice for several generations.Criticism as well as study on Yan Fu and his translation began in his lifetime and it still continues. As interested in his theories as ever, people today approach his masterwork of translation with new critical insight, focusing on the major issue of his translation criteria "Xin, Da, Ya". However, most of such examinations are confined to the single practical faithfulness-targeted tradition prescribing abstract rules and cumulatively hindering further research.The development of modern western translation studies opens up new avenues for exploring Yan Fu's translation and translation theory. The manipulation theory, a school of modern translation studies, which examines the connection between translation and manipulative factors, is especially relevant to the study of Yan Fu. According to the manipulation school, we may assume that translation is a process where people or institutions in power set certain ideological systems into which a writer or translator incorporates the poetic or the aesthetic. The manipulation theory provides for this thesis a theoretical perspective, through which the author looks into the ideological and poetic manipulation in Yan Fu's translation by describing the process of his translation activity. Yan Fu's translation is reinterpreted here to achieve these goals: first, from a historical perspective the author describes Yan Fu's translation— anintroduction of foreign culture by means of rewriting or paraphrasing— to examine the target ideology and poetics that shape his translation practice;then the author explores the connection between Yan Fu's theory and his practice to find out how his translation criteria in an accommodative way help initiate inspiration of recreating national political and cultural brilliance.This thesis contains four chapters besides an introduction and a conclusion.The introduction addresses Yan Fu's position in Chinese translation history, comments on the inadequacies of the existing studies on Yan Fu, introduces the manipulation theory represented by Lefevere and Bassnett, and states the purpose of this thesis, which is to use this theory to reinterpret Yan Fu's translation criteria Xin, Da, Ya.Chapter One, Literature Survey, covers the whole range of criticism on Yan Fu from his lifetime to the present. In spite of many profound and fresh insights into the master translator, improper evaluation is still found on Yan's translation practice and criteria, which makes a particularly interesting case study. Yan Fu is not to be fully justified if we follow the line of traditional studies because of the apparent contradiction between his theory and practice on the level of linguistics.Chapter Two, The Manipulation Theory, represented by Lefevere and Bassnett as one branch of modern western translation theories, provides a theoretical perspective for this study. It is suggested that Yan Fu's translation criteria Xin Da Ya are connected mainly to the manipulative factors of ideology and poetics.Chapter Three, Ideology and Xin, examines the relationship between Xin and ideology by describing the translation process in thecontext of late 19th century politics in China. The chapter tries to reveal that Yan Fu's Xin is theoretically and practically manipulated by the ideology of his time. The study also seeks to show that Yan's translation is a successful interpretation of Xin as he understands it.Chapter Four, Poetics and Da, Ya, explores the relationship between poetics on the one hand, and Da and Ya on the other, by tracing Yan Fu's translation activity. The manner of his expression, his popular and influential prose style, is conceptualized as Da and Ya. This aesthetic preference shows the manipulation of the poetic factor in his translation.The conclusion points out that whatever strategies Yan employs seem to correspond in some way or other to modern translation theories. With such a recognition, it is possible to reexamine Yan Fu to better appreciate the significance of his translation in modern Chinese translation history.