On Translation Practice Of The Reformists In The Late Qing Dynasty From The Perspective Of Skopostheorie

During the two thousand years of Chinese translation practice, a group of great translators, translation critics and scholars appeared among the reformists in the late Qing Dynasty. The reformists'translation activity made great contributions to the development of Chinese translation at the end of Qing Dynasty. The translation practice of the reformists is progressive either in terms of the choice of original works, or of the social function of their translated works. Among the leading reformists are the most prominent translators including Yan Fu, Lin Shu and Liang Qichao. They not only left large numbers of immortal translated works, but also rebuilt unenlightened thought of Chinese to a large extent for they successfully imported advanced Western social system and academic theory.For a long period of time the academic achievements on reformists' representatives and their translated works have been made in profusion. However, scholars'studies tended to be confined to individual cases, neglecting the commonness of reformists'translation behavior. Hence the author of this thesis maintains different age endows translation with different historical missions and so considers the translated works of an age have much in common inevitably. The translated versions of the reformists were completed with special purpose by special methods under special historical situation. Though they chose such unorthodox translation strategies as adding, deleting, and even rewriting, their translation practice all serve a clear and definite skopos, that is, to save the country and to enlighten the nation. According to Skopostheorie, translation is a purposeful behavior. The intended purpose of the target text determines the whole process of translation, i.e. the end justifies the means. The contribution of Skopostheorie is not only increasing translation strategies for choice, but also decreasing the astriction to translators. It provides a theoretical support for translator's adding, deleting, adjusting, mistranslating, even rewriting, so that translator's subjectivity can be completely exerted. With Skopostheorie adopted as the theoretical basis of the study, the author aims to study the commonness of translation in a period by analyzing the reformists' purposeful and selective translation activity under certain historical phase. Meanwhile, the conclusion is drawn:Chinese traditional translation practice is purposeful behavior with certain task all through.This thesis is mainly an attempt to probe into the following:(1) Discussion of Skopostheorie's development, focused on principles and significance of translations; (2) Interpretation of translation thoughts and translated works of the reformists' representatives; (3) Analysis of the historical background of reformists' translation action which decided their translation Skopos, enlightenment and salvation; (4) Enlightenment from the analysis of reformists'translation practice:the construction of translation theory in China should not be limited by traditional translation viewpoint. We can distill the commonness from wide translation practice and demonstrate it, thus to establish gradually translation theory with Chinese characteristics.