Translation Errors In Perspective

Either dismissed as chance happenings or attributed to the translator's linguistic incompetence and irresponsibility, translation errors have always been condemned and avoided. Though scholars of descriptive and system-oriented group have justified the differences between source and target texts as the result of translators'ideological manipulation, the ultimate nature and fundamental workings behind translation errors in general are still beyond the academic horizons. In order to put translation errors in perspective, this thesis attempts to conduct a systematic exploration and discover the psychological dynamics behind such erroneous performances.With a close examination of translation equivalence and the current research perspectives, the inadequacy of traditional translation theories is drawn into focus. In order to dispel the superstition that translation errors are either preposterous or indecipherable, a preliminary case study is carried out and the possibility of exploring the translator's mental process through errors is put forward. In Chapter One, attention is drawn to translator's split identity and dichotomous mental process, which constitute the immediate context for any error-making activity. Under the guidance of the Freudian demarcation and the deterministic philosophy, a systematic research into the psychological factors is carried out in Chapter Two and an insight into the formation of translation errors is obtained. In Chapter Three, the feasibility of such psychological interpretations is further tested through an investigation into the reading and translating processes. To utilize these findings, the last chapter focuses on several therapeutic techniques as a psychological countermeasure. Hence this thesis ventures to conclude that, even though linguistic incompetence and irresponsibility may to a large extent precipitate translation errors, the fundamental causes are rooted in the translator's psyche. Based on psychological interpretations, translation errors can be explained as a wish-censorship-repression activity. Although the fallibility of humanity has predetermined the perpetual existence of erroneous translations, hopes still remain, in that, with the adequate use of therapeutic methods and a lenient social atmosphere, the translator will be able to cultivate a more healthy personality and translation errors can be substantially reduced.