A Tentative Study On The Translator's Subjectivity

According to traditional translation theory, the translator is usually in an indecisive as well as dispensable position in the translating process, and the significance of the translator's subjectivity in literary translation has usually been neglected. However, the translator's subjectivity has come to appear clearly in the multi-meaning discourse context. Many scholars have specially pointed out: "The translator serves as a bridge to facilitate communication between cultures. It is safe to say that the translator and the source text author build their respective cultures in their respective contexts." (屠国元,朱献珑, 2003:14)。The thesis, based on the research achievements in the translator's subjectivity and hermeneutics and reception aesthetics, is an attempt on the multi-angle discussion of the characteristics and the restrictions of the translator's subjectivity, and on the application of the translator's subjectivity to the specific translating process through the comparative case studies of two English versions of Tao Te Ching. The said discussion would reach the tentative conclusion: translations must reflect the translator's subjectivity, but could be different to some degree due to a variety of inhibiting factors, such as the source text, the translator's individual style, and TT-oriented translation strategies.The thesis consists of five parts as follows:Chapter One is a brief introduction to the research subject, research purpose and the diachronical and synchronical survey on the translator's subjectivity.Chapter Two explores and re-considers the translator's role and position from the perspective of hermeneutics, and further points out that the position of the translator has been re-recognized and described objectively and correctly with the development of the definition of subjectivity and philosophical hermeneutics.Chapter Three conducts a multi-dimensional research on the translator's subjectivity from various perspectives, including the definition and characteristics of the translator's subjectivity, hermeneutics-based reception aesthetics (which provides an effective reading model and functional background for the construction ofsubjectivity), multi-angle analyses(which provide different horizons to the research of the translator's subjectivity), inhibiting factors of the translator's subjectivity, and the "creative treason" (which is indispensable to subjectivity research).Chapter Four is dedicated to the comparative case studies of the translations of Tao Te Ching from the perspective of the translator's subjectivity. The said studies show that the translated version must reflect the translator's subjectivity which, however, is influenced and restricted by the ST, the translator's individuality and the TL culture.Last but not least, Chapter Five is the review of the whole main body of the thesis with the following conclusion that the correct understanding of the translator's subjectivity depends on constant learning and research.