On Deliberate Mistranslation From The Perspective Of Translator's Subjectivity

Constrained by the dominant supreme criterion of"equivalence"or"faithfulness"for so long,the traditional translation studies mainly focuses on the analysis of linguistic transformation.In the static text-centered studies,the importance of the translator has been almost completely neglected.Under such influence,the ultimate goal of translation is defined as the realization of the absolute equivalence of the source text in target language.Thus any translation seemingly deviating from the original will be criticized as"mistranslation".However,since 1980s,the"cultural turn"has brought the shift in translation studies between focusing on the transforming process of two sets of language signs to cultural exploration.Translation now is widely accepted as an activity of cultural exchange and expands to the study of factors beyond the text.The initiative of translator,the subject of translation,also comes to surface in translating process.Mistranslation thus gains unprecedented attention and more reasonable interpretation rather than invariable negation,and deliberate mistranslation,as an effective translation strategy by the translator,also begins to play a positive role.Differing from the unintentional mistranslations caused by technical mistakes or cultural divergence,deliberate mistranslation derives from the free-will choice of the translator as the subject of translation,thus it must be achieved with the precondition of the display of the translator's subjectivity.The three features-initiative,purpose-orientation and restriction of the translator's subjectivity determine that deliberate mistranslation is inevitable yet restrictive.The translator is a subject of translation and also a subject of the society.Cultural factors from the social context are imposed onto the translator and brought into effect through his translation practice,leading to deliberate mistranslation.So this thesis intends to focus on a descriptive study on the profound reasons for translators' adoption of deliberate mistranslation and its significance from the perspective of translator's subjectivity, aiming to discover a new angle for mistranslation study and translation criticism. The paper consists of five chapters.As the background introduction,the first chapter points out clearly that the status of translators,as the subject of translation, has been remarkably improved since the"cultural turn",on the basis of which and with the help of some examples,Chapter one theoretically states the concept of deliberate mistranslation,analyzes the inevitability of mistranslation and the two types of mistranslation:unintentional mistranslation and deliberate mistranslation,and finally points out the close relationship between deliberate mistranslation and the translator's subjectivity.Since the"cultural turn"in translation studies was put forward,translation has been placed in the macroscopic context of cultural systems. The translator,being at the central position in the subjectivity of translation,holds within him the condensed factors from the cultural systems,such as ideology,the dominant poetics of the target language and patronage,etc.Taking these factors into consideration,the translator will make some additions,omissions or changes of the form or content of the original text out of certain purposes,which serves as the origin of deliberate mistranslation.Chapter two is a brief review of the studies on deliberate mistranslation at home and abroad in recent years.The western scholars in Translation Studies School did a large quantity of relevant researches on the relationship between translator's subjectivity and deliberate mistranslation from various perspectives,among which were Hermeneutics,Manipulation Theory,Skopos Theory and Deconstructionism,etc. Since the introduction of"creative treason"by Xie Tianzhen to domestic translation circle,translator's subjectivity and creativity had attracted more attention than ever before,and deliberate mistranslation also drew the eyes of more scholars.However, most of the researches above either only concentrated on the descriptive summary of mistranslation or just a partial study from only one certain angle like Hermeneutics or Manipulation,while a systemic combination between translator's subjectivity and deliberate mistranslation hasn't been achieved yet.Chapter three concentrates on translator's subjectivity.Broadly speaking,the subject of translation includes the author of the source text,the translator and the reader of the target text.The translator,being the central position of the process,can't be neglected in his prominence.Thus,the subject of translation usually only refers to the translator himself.The translator's subjectivity is featured by initiative, purpose-orientation and restriction.The translator's initiative and the orientation of his purpose constitute the basis for his creativity while restriction determines that the translator's creative expression of the original text can't be at random.There are many factors that affect the function of the translator's subjectivity,such as patronage, ideology,the dominant poetics,cultural background,and translation purpose,etc.The translator's subjectivity unavoidably participates in the whole process of translation, such as the selection of source text,choice of translation strategy,creative comprehension of the original,creative expression and the final improvement,and takes great initiative to play its positive role in each stage.Chapter four is the focus of this thesis,illustrating the main factors condensed in the translator's subjectivity leading to deliberate mistranslation and its significance. As a social being,the translator unavoidably is deeply affected by the impact of historical and political environment,dominant poetic norms,ethical and aesthetic values,and also religious beliefs of his own nation,which all exert influence in various degrees on him in the"choice-making"process of translation and usually, result in his creative deliberate mistranslation.The acceptability of deliberate mistranslation is governed by the following criteria:conforming to the objectivity of knowledge,rationality of understanding and validity of interpretation,and consistency with the orientation of the original text(吕俊,2002:42).The unintentional mistranslation should be screened out as much as possible,but deliberate mistranslation,as an objective existence and translation approach,still is of great significance.First,it serves some practical functions,satisfying translators' special purposes.Second,deliberate mistranslation has literary functions:on the one hand,it can offer target readers different versions for the same source text,which surely will enrich the connotation of it;on the other hand,deliberate mistranslation could accelerate the development of the target culture.At last,deliberate mistranslation could enhance the intercultural communication.It can not only modify the original to cater for the expectation of the target readers,but also create opportunities for the contact and interaction of the paralleled cultures.The last chapter briefly concludes the investigation,bringing light to the findings and implications:(1)Deliberate mistranslation is the result from the interaction between the constraining factors condensed in the translator on the basis of translator's subjectivity.(2)Deliberate mistranslation is a product of the combination of the translator's initiative with the restriction upon him.Initiative of the translator brings deliberate mistranslation into practice and the restriction upon him prevents his creativity from being too radical.(3)Deliberate mistranslation is of great significance and should be treated with a positive attitude;the translator's subjectivity deserves more attention and studies.Due to the limitation of time and knowledge,the writer can't reach a comprehensive summary of the restrictive factors on translator's subjectivity yet,so further researches on this aspect are hopefully expected.