| Despite its increasing popularity in the domestic translation discussion, for most scholars in China, feminist translation remains as a radical western translation discourse which is hardly suitable to be studied in the Chinese context, given that there isn't a feminist background in China similar to that in the West. Such a preoccupation has resulted in inadequate introduction, misreading, and a lack of in-depth exploration of feminist translation in the Chinese translation circle.This dissertation argues that, feminist translation studies can be carried out in the Chinese context. An investigation into the historical and theoretical background of feminist translation shows that, feminist translation is actually the application of feminist literary criticism in translation practice and translation studies. In other words, it is a practice of feminist (re)reading and rewriting. It was born to meet the need of the dissemination and exchanges of the booming women's literature, and is thus a political act to make women seen and heard in the world. Such a feminist aspiration is grounded on Foucault's power/discourse theory, where feminists have learned that the origin of women's long-existing inferiority and powerlessness lies in their exclusion from discourse. Therefore, women are encouraged to engage themselves in writing and rewriting so as to create a discourse for women and to change their secondary status.Since China does have developed its own feminist literary criticism, it is not without reason to believe that, feminist translation studies can be established in the Chinese context. It has been proved in feminist translation that the translator's attitude towards gender does matter. Given the rich body of women's literature and the growing gender awareness in China, it is not only feasible, but also necessary, to apply feminist literary criticism or a gendered perspective in thetranslation of women's writings. Factors concerning the development of feminist translation studies in China have also been put forward for further consideration, such as the feminist situation in China, and the Chinese language, etc. |
