Lin Yutang And The Translation Of Fu Sheng Liu Ji-Ideological Manipulation Perspective

Using Lin Yutang's translation of Fu Sheng Liu Ji as a case study, this thesis tries to explore how ideology manipulates English translating of Chinese literature. Manipulation School asserts that translation is a complex process in which not only linguistic devices but also the invisible hand historical and ideological factors influences translation behaviour. The application of ideological manipulation into translation practice brings along a new perspective for the translation study which has been long perplexed by such theories as "equivalence" and "faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance".Literary works usually have a close relationship with culture and history, while ideology is the product of a certain society and culture. Therefore, ideology can be easily found in literary works, and its influence can never be ignored in the process of translating literary works.The thesis elaborates ideological manipulation of translation from three aspects, namely, the choice of source text, the adoption of translation strategies and methods and the acceptance and popularity of the target text. Fu Sheng Liu Ji, an autobiography written by Shen Fu in the Qing Dynasty, is a reflection of the original author's special aesthetic view and contented and tranquil life attitude from its style to content. And a certain kind of ideology contributes to Lin Yutang's choice of Fu Sheng Liu Ji. After examining why Lin chooses Fu Sheng Liu Ji, his adoption of translation strategies and methods as well as his translation theory and the acceptance and popularity of his English version, we find ideology, no matter whose it is, the translator's or the target-language readers', the SL world's or the TL world's, affects all the whole translating process. In addition, ideological manipulation in Fu Sheng Liu Ji's translation is all the more obvious through a rather detailed contrast between Lin Yutang's translation and that of Shirley M. Black, a British translator. As a westerner, all he has in his mind is western thinking pattern and ideology, which direct him to change Fu Sheng Liu Ji into his own taste to meet his western readers, which is actually a kind of cultural invasion in disguise and which is a reflection of western discourse hegemony. Meanwhile, as a Chinese translator, Lin succeeds in maintaining as much Chinese culture as possible and at the same time making Chinese culture correctly and well accepted by westerners. Consequently, Chinese culture is disseminated and its discourse right guaranteed.In all, Lin's cultural view and translation practice bring positive effect and new enlightenment on our cultural reconstruction and innovation.