A Mediator In And Outside Texts

In the history of translation theories in China, the role of a translator has generally been treated as that of a servant of the original author, whose task is to"copy"the source text in the target language to the best of the translator's ability."Faithfulness"is a general principle that all translators should follow. Theories that overemphasize"faithfulness"tend to simplify the process of translation and confine the study of translation to a mere applied discipline, thereby hindering the scientific development of translation studies.Through a comprehensive review of translation theories developed inside and outside China, this author argues for the importance of pure translation study, whose task is to describe the phenomenon of translation and develop principles for describing and explaining the process of translation. It is argued in the thesis that a competent translator should be one that is equipped with the ability to analyze factors which influence translation at and beyond the textual level, and work out proper translation strategies so as to satisfy the receptor, the initiator and the target ideology at large. The pure translation study promotes scientific ways of developing translation studies in China.This thesis is composed of four chapters, plus an"Introduction"and a"Conclusion".Chapter One is a reflection on China's traditional translation theories before the 1980s. Traditional translation theories place too much emphasis to the problem of"how to translate"and neglect the pure aspect of translation studies, which hinders the scientific development of researches on translation. Such a situation entails learning from foreign theories and expanding the faithfulness-oriented domestic theories of translation as a mere applied science.Chapter Two is focused on the term"equivalence", an important concept in translation studies. The author points out the limitations of Catford's equivalence theory which isbased on analysis at the textual level, and draws attention to the reader's role. Nida's concept of dynamic equivalence is emphasized, as it shifts the focus of translation study from verbal comparison of textual equivalence to reader-oriented equivalent effect.Chapter Three discusses the translation initiator, the target reader and translation purpose as components of an organic whole. Generally, the initiator in literary translation works out the translation purpose according to the situation of target readers. The author discusses the influence of the publisher and the target reader on translation purposes in the extended process of translation.Chapter Four draws attention to the"receptor"in a broader sense, i.e. the target society. The author argues that translation can never be free from cultural and political manipulations which reflect the ideology of the target society. The author further discusses how the factor of ideology influences the choice of translation materials, translation strategies, and the establishment of translation theories in China.