Manipulation In Translation: A Case Study Of Two Chinese Versions Of Uncle Tom's Cabin

Traditional translation theories lay particular stress on transferring the meaning precisely between two languages, holding that prime criteria of translation should be fidelity to the source text. With the cultural turn in translation studies from the 1970s, translation studies have been conducted under a broader context taking into account of such factors as politics, society, history and culture, which has broadened the field of translation studies. Translations at any time by any translator cannot escape from the influence of socio-cultural context of its time.The manipulation theory brought forward by AndréLefevere is one of the most famous theories in translation studies. AndréLefevere believes that in translation process, there are three elements constraining translation: ideology, poetics and patronage. Among these elements, ideology plays an important role in the selection of translation materials, adoption of translation strategies and translators' treatment of details. As the collection of literary standards in a society, poetics decides the language used in the translation. Patronage, however, always plays a significant role in determining what to translate, and in the publication and spreading of translations through controlling the ideology of translations.Heinu Yu Tian Lu (A Chronicle of the Black Slave's Appeals to Heaven) by Lin Shu and Tangmu Dabo de Xiaowu (Uncle Tom's Cabin or Life among the Lowly) by Huang Jizhong are two Chinese versions of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Translated at different times, these two translations show differences not only in language and strategy, but also in the influence they produced at their times. Based on the Manipulation Theory promoted by AndréLefevere, through the analysis of Heinu Yu Tian Lu and Tangmu Dabo de Xiaowu and the examination of Lin Shu's and Huang Jizhong's selection of the source text, their adoption of translation strategies and the publication of their translations, this dissertation is aimed to explore the role the ideology, poetics and patronages in the target culture plays in the process of literary translation.This dissertation adopts a descriptive methodology of translation studies. It first introduces Uncle Tom's Cabin and the two Chinese versions in question as well as the existent research on these two versions. Then it explores Manipulation Theory promoted by AndréLefevere, particularly the three manipulating factors: ideology, poetics and patronage. Then it makes a comparison between the two Chinese versions. Through analyzing examples from the two versions, this dissertation tries to find what role the three factors play in the translation process.In the part of ideology, after studying the dominant ideology in Lin Shu's and Huang Jizhong's time, the two translators' motivations and strategies adopted to deal with ideological issues such as religion, ethics and political issues are analyzed. The conclusion is that the dominant ideology in their society decides their different translation motivations and strategies.Then, it comes to poetics. After discussing the dominant poetics in the two translators' society, the two translated texts are compared in terms of language, plot and characterization and style. Affected by the dominant poetics in their society, Lin Shu and Huang Jizhong adopted different language styles in their translation and through different strategies, creating two different images of the source text for their readers.Finally, the role of patronage in the translation process is analyzed. Patronage plays an important role in promoting or delaying the publication of translations and controls the fate of the translated text.Through the case study of Heinu Yutian Lu and Tangmu Dabo de Xiaowu, questions that cannot be resolved by linguistic analysis find their answers. Translation is a kind of manipulation to the source text for certain purpose. Translators in different times are affected by ideology, poetics and patronage in their society. To achieve their translation purpose, translators must employ strategies that are allowed by ideology, poetics and patronage. This also explains why there are retranslations and why retranslations are necessary.