SF Translation In China From 1891 To 1917: A Historical Perspective

Translation studies is an interdiscipline containing elements of social science and the humanities, dealing with the systematic study of the theory, the description and the application of translation, interpreting or both activities. It borrows much from the different fields of study that support translation. These include linguistics, comparative literature, history, philosophy, semiotics, computer science, cognitive science, and so on. The thesis pays special attention to the integration between translation studies and history, mainly focusing on translation of science fiction, a relatively marginalized genre in the system of literature, during the third upsurge in translation in the history of Chinese culture.The thesis aims to make a complete research into the translations of SF and their reception during the late Qing and the early period of Republic of China, from 1891 to 1917, to be exact. Firstly, quantitative approaches are used to thoroughly examine all the science fiction translations available, to generally analyze the features and influences of STs and TTs. To be more detailed, several pairs of texts that are representative are selected for a comparative study, in view of uncovering the relationship between the contemporary translated SF texts and those that were created, and the relationship between science fiction and children literature.The thesis comprises five sections. The first section, an introduction, gives a review of analyses translation history research as an essential segment of translation studies, briefly surveying reviewing the achievements and deficiencies of related researches on into translation of science fictions, with a statement of the title for the research and its structure.Part Two examines the relevant concepts of science fiction, including its nature, a brief history of science fiction in west before 1917, followed by a review of its development in China at that time.Part Three conducts a general exploration into SF translation from 1891 to 1917, by means of quantitative methods, well-roundedly summarizing the process from initiation to summit, the process from summit to decline of this literary genre, analyzing and distinguishing the science fiction translations available, both ST and TT included.Part Four is a case study, with several typical texts analyzed and compared with each other to reveal the relationship between science fiction and children literature, and between contemporary science fiction and creation.The last part concludes the thesis, which generalizes characteristics of development of SF translations in China, inquires the relationship between SF translations and Chinese culture, to find the unique features and selection standards of traditional Chinese culture, followed by some theoretical reflections as well as suggestions for future research.