A Study Of Dong Qiusi's Translation Thought

Dong Qiusi (abbreviated as Dong hereinafter) is a famous translator in modern China. He achieved outstanding accomplishments in both translation theory and translation practice. He took to translating in his late twenties and did not stop till his last breath in 1969. He translated numerous works, including War and Peace,David Copperfield, and Freud and Marx, and A Dialectical Study,etc. He also made great contributions to the exploration and development of Chinese translation theory. His thought about translation is rich and profound, covering a wide range of subjects. However, his translation thought has not got enough academic attention, which does not accord with his position in Chinese translation history and his contributions to the development of translation theory of our country.This thesis examines his translation thought systematically with the hope of achieving a better understanding of the historical place of this great translator and his contributions to the establishment and development of Chinese translation theory.The thesis is composed of five chapters. Chapter One is a brief introduction, including the objectives, the scope of discussion and the methodology of the research, and Dong's life and translation career as well.Chapter Two gives a review of the existing literature on Dong as a translator and his translation thought, and points out the inadequacies of the previous studies. Chapter Three is an exploration and analysis of Dong's translation thought. He put forward his views on the construction of translation theory and translation criticism in early 1950's, resulting in a profound impact on the establishment and development of Chinese translation theory. He also expressed his personal opinions on the selection of source texts, translation strategies, the relationship between direct translation and indirect translation, and recreation in literary translation, etc. which are still worth our study. This chapter is a relatively complete and profound study of Dong's translation thought. Chapter Four makes a tentative analysis of the characteristics of Dong's translation thought, which are found to be farsighted and constructive, with distinctive marks of his time. The last chapter is the conclusion, which summarizes Dong's views on translation, confirms his historical contributions to the establishment and development of Chinese translation theory, and points out the limitations of this study as well as suggestions for further research.