Translator's Subjectivity In The Choice And Interpretation Of Source Text

Since there was translation activity in the world, the source text has been holding the central position in translation studies, while the subject of this activity, the translator, has been marginalized, and the translator's subjectivity has been ignored totally. But no matter whether we admit or not the translator plays an irreplaceable role in translation and his /her subjectivity does exist in the process of translation. With the development of translation studies, especially with the culture turn taking place in this field, more and more translation scholars attach importance to translator's subjectivity. They have studied it from different perspectives, such as from poly-system theory, aesthetic reception theory, Hermeneutics, feminism, deconstruction, and post-structuralism. Their studies have got great achievements, while the study of translator's subjectivity has become one of the hot issues in the field of translation studies.Translation is kind of interpretation essentially, just as Gadamer says,"any translation has already been interpretation."(Gadamer, 1994: 62) Hermeneutics, as an art or a theory about understanding and interpretation, has been introduced into the translation studies, especially into the study of translator's subjectivity. It has provided the translation scholars with great enlightenments. Gadamer, the representative of modern Hermeneutics, develops it by putting forward the concepts of"prejudice","effective history", and"fusion of horizons", all of which contributes a lot to the study of translator's subjectivity.This thesis admits and respects the existence of translator's subjectivity in translation process, and studies translator's subjectivity from the perspective of Hermeneutics, by introducing those three key concepts mentioned above, i.e."prejudice","effective history", and"fusion of horizons"into the study. This thesis analyzes the display of translator's subjectivity in his/her selection and interpretation of the source text. It concludes that the translator's life experiences, interest, aesthetic ability and taste, and as well as his/her individuality will determine which text he/she chooses to translate, which can explain why different translators choose various source texts to translate, though they live in the same time period. And it also shows that translator's subjectivity plays a great role in interpreting the source text. Translators with different bilingual competence, bicultural knowledge and distinctive translation principles interpret the same source text in different ways, which brings various translated versions of the same text into being.