Penetrating The Chinese Version Of The Thorn Birds From The Translator's Consideration For Target Readership

Translation is a creative activity involving the source text (ST), the original author, the target text (TT), the translator, and the target reader. The whole process of translation can roughly be divided into two stages: translators' interpreting of the source text and target readers' interpreting of TT. Between these two stages, there exists an internal connection—TT. It is this connection that enables target readers to understand and appreciate ST.However, for a long time, translators have mainly focused their attention on the subjects and objects of the first stage, namely ST, the original author, the translator, and their inter-relations. Little attention is paid to the subjects of the second stage, target readers and their influence on translation activities. Actually, as an action, translation has its own purpose, for it must be directed at its target readers—the object that a translated product serves. A translated product will not exist until it is recognized by its readers. It requires translators to consider the target readers and their reading need in the process of translation and then produce the corresponding TT accordingly rather than follow the track of the original author step by step.Reception aesthetics originating from 1960s stresses the openness of a text and the readers' role in interpreting a text and breaks down the text-centered linguistic system. The application of this theory has great significance to the study of literary translation and establishes the readers' status in literary translation. The target reader is an essential subject close to the translator, and he participates in literary translation activity directly or indirectly.Based on the relevant theory of reception aesthetics, this thesis penetrates the Chinese version of The Thorn Birds from the perspective of the translator's consideration for target readers and aims to explore the phenomena and the characteristics of the translator's consideration for target readers as well as the ways of considering readers. This paper is divided into six parts.Introduction briefly illustrates the background and significance of this study. It begins with the traditional translation theories which are text-centered and ignored the readers' role in the process of translation. At the same time, the author makes a brief analysis of the status quo of translators' consideration for target readers.Chapter one makes a general survey of the relevant theories and the phenomena on translators' consideration for target readers from the angle of translation history both at home and abroad. Since these theories are not systematic, it is worth undertaking a thorough study on translators' consideration for target readers.Chapter two explores target readers' role and status by borrowing the relevant theory of reception aesthetics. It begins with surveying the characteristics of literary translation, analyzes the significance and inspiration of reception aesthetics to the study of translation, and summarizes the role of target readers in translation.Chapter three makes an analysis of the translator's consideration for target readers in the Chinese version of The Thorn Birds. The translator Zeng Hu considers his readers from three aspects, namely, target readers' language taste, cultural aesthetics and awareness, and cognition awareness. The present author believes that the translator considers not only the target readers' preexisting language appreciation and cultural taste but also their need for absorbing foreign cultural elements.Chapter 4 expounds that by adopting literal translation and free translation, the translator tries to deal with the original from the perspective of linguistic level; by adopting the approaches of domestication and foreignization, the translator tries to cope with the original from the perspective of cultural aesthetics and awareness; when coming across untranslatable cultural words, translation compensation is adopted.Based on the analysis of the Chinese version of The Thorn Birds, the author believes the translator's consideration for his readers contributes to the success of the Chinese version to a certain extent. Translators must pay due attention to their target readers. Translators should not only consider target readers' preexisting language appreciation, but also their demands for absorbing foreign cultural essence and adopt flexible and practicable translating methods and strategies accordingly rather than consider one aspect and neglect the other. Only by considering their readers to an appropriate degree, can translators serve their readers better. Besides, target readership is not the only factor that translators must take into consideration when selecting their translating techniques. Text types, translation purpose as well as translators' individuality and preference, should also be taken into account in translation process.