A Study On Zhang Ai-Ling As A Translator

In Chinese literary history of the twentieth century Zhang Ai-ling (Eileen Chang) has been a very influential writer due to her excellent and unique creations. People attach much importance to her creative writings and her research in the field of classic novels, but neglect her great achievements of literary translation. Actually Zhang Ai-ling translated a great number of novels, essays and some poems into Chinese and English, including adapted script translation. She should be studied as a prominent translator as well as a great writer.This thesis is intended to expound Zhang Ai-ling's translations from the perspectives of intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as translation background, translation aims, her writing and translating, and politics of translation. Firstly, the thesis summarizes and comments on the general situation at home and abroad of the study on Zhang Ai-ling as a translator in order to emphasize its necessity and importance. Secondly, the thesis focuses on the key role of translated works in Zhang Ai-ling's literary career with reference to her translation talents and translation practice. Based on the above, the thesis employs traditional Chinese translation theories and western skopostheory to analyze the translated novels, essays, poems, and adapted plays by Zhang Ai-ling. In the light of the identity of being a bilingual writer, the third chapter of the thesis analyses the mutual influences of her translation and writing by specific text analysis, including the comparison of translation mode between Zhang Ai-ling and Vladimir Nabokov. The fourth chapter puts the emphasis on the interpretation of Zhang Ai-ling's translations especially in the perspectives of power discourse, ideology and sponsor among the extrinsic factors in translation. This would clarify in translation manipulation the decisive role of sponsor. The last part concludes that Zhang Ai-ling is an excellent translator and should be honored with a high position in the history of modern Chinese translated literature.To sum up, the thesis is intended to make a comprehensive research of Zhang Ai-ling's translation art not only in interlingual but in intralingual field in order to provide a new angle for Zhang Ai-ling studies.