The Translator's Subjectivity In The Perspective Of The Essence Of Translation

Translating can be traced back to more than two thousand years ago. Many western and Chinese people have undertaken translating for a long time. Many researchers have tried to study the nature of translating and the translator. The translator's subjectivity and the essence of translation are the very important aspects in translation theory. In this thesis, the author devotes her efforts to exploration of the translator's subject status in the essence of translation.In Chapter One the author reviews the study of translation essence. Through listing the explanations in some dictionaries and many theorists' definitions, the author discusses the definition of translation. Then the author describes the nature of translation. All kinds of descriptions have been given to the nature of translation. For example, translation is a science; translation is an art; translation is a skill; translation is an operation, translation is communication and so forth. Among all these descriptions, the author chooses the hottest one according to the topic of this paper—Is translation a science or an art? Then in the following three parts of this chapter, the author discusses the scientific approach, the artistic approach and the unity of the scientific and artistic approach respectively. In the last part of this chapter, the author discusses the noumenal approach. Moreover, the author describes the academic basis of these approaches and the contents of these theories. At the same time, the author lists some outstanding representatives of these schools. At last, the author draws a conclusion that among these approaches, the unity of the scientific and artistic approach is the most reasonable one.In Chapter Two the author introduces the development of translator study. From the traditional low-down translator to the crucial factor in the process of translation nowadays, the status of translators has changed greatly. The translators are not the servants of the original at present. This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part is about the invisibility of the translator. It describes the translator's invisibility in the past years. It is obvious that in traditional invisible concept, the translator had no subject status at all. The second part is about the visibility of the translator. It describes the development of the translator study nowadays. The author indicates that in modern visible concept, the translator's subjectivity is not definite enough.In Chapter Three, the essential status of translator is analyzed. In the first part of this chapter, the author describes the translator's subject status in scientific approach. In unilateral scientific approach, the translator doesn't have his or her evident subject status. In the second part of this chapter, the author discusses the translator's subject status in artistic approach. In unilateral artistic approach, the translator doesn't have his or her whole subject status either. In the third part of this chapter, the author talks about the translator's subject status in the unity of scientific and artistic approach. In the unity of the scientific and artistic approach, the translator's subject status can be fully acknowledged. Only in this approach, can the translator's subjectivity be manifested completely.At last, the author concludes that in the unity of the scientific and artistic approach, the translator's subject status can be fully acknowledged and demonstrated.