Thoughts On Building The Criteria Of Translation

The issue of translation criteria is essential in the translation theory and an unavoidable roadblock in the development of translation studies, the discussion of which made by theorists and translators has never faded away and therefore become a Goldbach's conjecture due to the never-to-be-finished issues. Historically, both the western and Chinese criteria established present us a variety of phenomena in their development. At present, some scholars hold that the translation criteria to be established should be objective, concrete, and quantitative, hoping that they are not only applicable to any situations, but also as accurate as mathematic formulas. Still other scholars prefer to make the criteria subjective, dynamic, and qualitative. Therefore, the issue of what kind of criteria should be set up calls for a closer examination. Based on the development of criteria both at home and abroad, this thesis analyzes from the angle of thinking ways the essential features of the translation criteria, and the possibility of building the generally-accepted criteria in translation theory in four chapters as follows:In the first chapter, the author presents a historical review of translation criteria in China and western countries, analyzing what unique features exist respectively in Chinese and western criteria, and what common ground they share, and finally points out that it is thinking ways that are the source of criteria formation which cause differences between Chinese and western criteria in translation theories.The second chapter centers on how thinking ways are related to translation criteria. The author here compares the Chinese thinking way with the westerns', along with their influence respectively on the course of development of translation criteria.The third chapter focuses on the essential features of criteria. On the basis of theories advanced by some famous translation theorists as well as some typical translation examples, the author gives an illustration of essential features by discussing whether criteria are subjective or objective, quantitative or qualitative, abstract or concrete, and absolute or relative, to explore the issues of what at all the unanimous criteria should be set up in the translation theory.The last chapter discusses some factors affecting translation criteria, namely, the discipline orientation, the value judgment, and the objects in translation studies, which determine directly what kind of translation criteria should be set up. The feasibility of building unanimous criteria in the translation theory is also analyzed under the conditions of paradoxes. This chapter also touches two important issues in modernizing criteria in Chinese translation theory, namely, where to start and where to stand on in establishing translation criteria in the translation theory, and the power of discourse in translation circle in the international background.