A Tentative Study On Cultural Misreading In Literary Translation And Feasible Translation Strategies

As a blockade to smooth intercultural communication, cultural misreadings mainly stem from cultural discrepancy. People, when they confront foreign cultures, tend to make judgement and interpretation based on what they are familiar with, such as ethic standard, life style, modes of thought, etc. The consequence is the betrayal of the other culture. As an important media of cultural communication, literary translation has basic difference from other translation in the aspect of its language, which is not used for purely utilitarian purpose, but for representation of specific artistic images and alien aesthetics as well, and since literature is constrained within the framework of language, but not a mere transfer of languages. The vividity of language is conditioned by its particular language environment as well as the life experience of language users, hence a translation should affect us in the same way as the original may be supposed to have affected its first hearers. The translator, as a creative participant, can never translate in a vacuum. Whereas, the distance between the aim and actual translation practice really maintains, which is closely related to our own cultural environment and individual experience of life. Naturally troubles of different kinds arise from gaps in languages. Hereby, literary translation can be approached as collision, repellence and fusion between alien cultures. This thesis attempts to expound the phenomenon of cultural misreading from the perspective of hermeneutic theory.Hermeneutics is a theory about understanding and interpretation of the text. Starting from the core working concepts of modern literary theory of hermeneutics, such as "preunderstanding", "prejudice" and "fusion of horizons", this paper intends to depict the reasons, manifestation, effects of cultural misreading, in order to obtain asystematic understanding about the cultural phenomenon, the writer analyzes the automatic and subtle involvement of the translator into the understanding and expression of the ST, then seek reasonable and effective strategies in literary translation.This thesis consists of six parts:The Introduction begins with a general idea of cultural misreading, the purposes of studying the topic and the basic structure of this thesisChapter One provides the theoretical foundation of this thesis. In the light of modern hermeneutics, this chapter employs its core working concept of prejudice, and demonstrates the objectivity of misreading.Chapter Two analyzes the rationality and feasibility of misreading from the perspective of history, national discrepancy and individual difference. Misreading in the actual cultural transmission is to be studied carefully so as to get a factual statement on its cause.Chapter Three expounds the important influence that cultural misreading has had upon the interpretation of the ST, and points out that misreading in literary translation may be unconscious or conscious. Although any form of misreading is at the cost of loss of content or deformation of style of the ST, yet negative effect may result from unconscious misreading which is caused by the translator's language incompetence or unfamiliarity with the foreign culture;while positive effect can be achieved by conscious and creative misreading, and surely bring about unexpected and successful cultural communication. Since the cultural misreading in literary translation is exhibited in a multi-layered way, the chapter is developed only in terms of ethical values and aesthetics.Chapter Four explores Gadamer's another important notion of hermeneutic "fusion of horizon"(Gadamer, 1999:273) and points out that a creative interpreter with "preunderstanding" can play an important rolein literary translation. The author stresses the importance of the translator's creativity. In order to achieve smooth cultural communication, three forms of feasible strategies are provided, including substitution, paraphrase and omission.In conclusion, under the guidance of the hermeneutic elucidation, misreading has got its legitimate status in cultural communication, misreading in cultural communication is not only inevitable, but has great significance in certain occasions. Moreover, creative and positive misreading can exhibit diversities among different cultures, thus leading to mutual understanding and tolerance. In the process of literary translation, the translator should play a positive and creative role.