On Translator's Subjectivity

In traditional translation theories, the focus has always been on the discussion of the intrinsic quality of translation, translation strategies and the criteria of translation. There are various kinds of criteria whose main purpose being comparison between the original text and the translated text on the level of linguistics. Therefore, translation has been regarded as linguistic transform and the translator was subjected to a subordinate position. In addition, cultural consciousness of both the source and the target language has restrained the employment of his subjectivity. There had been little discussion about the most significant agent during translating: the translator. In recent years, with the emergence of new approaches to translation studies, the complex role that the translator plays in the whole translating process has become a heated subject to discuss. Accordingly, the study of translator's subjectivity, one branch of the study on translator, has become critically important and is increasingly getting more attention among translation theorists. This paper intends to place the translator in the first place, pointing out the inevitable presence of his subjectivity in translation, and hopes to draw people's attention to it. The translating process is the process of decision-making based on translator's own will, personal intention and specific purpose. The translated text is the carrier of these decisions. The translator not only reads the original text as a reader but also represents it as a writer. Such a dual identity determines translator's core status. The translator inevitably shows strong initiative throughout translation. A simple review of the recognition of translator's subjectivity is shown in this paper and a tentative effort is made in this paper to explain the connotation of translator's subjectivity — the subjective creativity that the translator (as the subject of translation) displays in translation activity to achieve his translation purpose, on the premise of respecting the translation object (the original text). Then an analysis of the manifestation of translator's subjectivity is made in this paper mainly in the choice of original texts and intranslating process so as to deepen our research on translator's subjectivity. Of course when we emphasize translator's subjectivity, we should also take it into consideration that the other factors in translating process, such as the traditional translation criteria and principles, the original text, the readers in target language and linguistic differences and cultural differences, have great influence on him. As a result, this paper also mentions the restrictions of translator's subjectivity as an independent part. Besides, the significance of the study of translator's subjectivity is also elaborated to further explain the implication. At the end of this paper, through a discussion of the recognition, the implication, the manifestation and the restrictions of translator's subjectivity, the author puts forward two suggestions: 1. The translators' consciousness of creativity shall be integrated with their self-restraint. 2. Traditional translation criteria and principles shall be further understood in an attempt to promoting the development of translation practice and studies.Through this research, the author hopes to stimulate translators to give full play to their initiative during translating process so as to achieve the translation ends, and at the same time advocates considerations for the translator when evaluating any translated work in order to achieve fairness and all-sidedness. In the end, there is something indispensable to illustrate: to discuss translator's subjectivity in translation, it is unavoidable to speak of the theories on traditional "criteria of translation" which also will be explored in this paper.