On The Limitations Of Translator's Subjectivity Regarding Poetic Translation

The cultural shift in translation studies starting from the 1980s and gaining momentum in the 1990s has brought to us a kaleidoscope of research perspectives in this field, among which the study of translator's subjectivity from Hermeneutics approach has attracted the attention of many scholars. With different research results piling ahead, there exists a big concern that too much emphasis on subjectivity from Hermeneutics perspective would provide the translators with reasons for too much subjectivity.This thesis is a response to this question. Through a detailed exposition of the Hermeneutics of Martin Heidegger and his student Hans-Georg Gadamer, the author argues that this concern derives from misunderstanding of the two masters' Hermeneutics, which infers that loose play in translation practices is impossible. The subjectivity of the translator is always limited. Then what governs the translator's subjectivity? The author chooses one type of text, poetry translation, for analysis, and then sets three rules to practice poetry translators.