On Lin Yutang's Subjectivity In His Translation

The translator is undoubtedly the most dynamic factor in translating activity. However, looking back to the thousands of years'history of translation. One can find that translator's identity has been ignored for quite a long time in the traditional studies of translation. Translator's subjectivity is neither approved nor encouraged. The translator has to constrain himself from showing his subjective initiative in translation in order to avoid being a betrayer of the original.With the development of translation studies, especially after the"culture turn", people gradually realize that a translator plays an important role in translating activity. So, more and more attention has been paid to the translator's identity. Studies on translator's subjectivity from different perspectives are also on an increasing trend. In Chinese translation field, the studies on translator's subjectivity have in particular mushroomed in recent years. In China, there are many translators whose translation works can be used as the analyzing carriers for translator's subjectivity, Lin Yutang is just a famous one of them.It is no secret that Lin Yutang is a prolific Chinese writer and translator. Especially, his translations are the perfect application of translation theory and practice. His translation strategies are worth studying and valuable as materials of reference; his mental journey and mindset deserve analysis. Although increasing attention has been paid to Lin Yutang's translator's subjectivity in recent years, studies on his translation are far from being sufficient compared with that on other translators. As a matter of fact, studies on Lin Yutang's translator's subjectivity are almost focusing on his translation of Shen Fu's"Fu Sheng Liu Ji". Hence, in order to expand the studies on Lin Yutang, the author of the thesis attempts to explore Lin Yutang's translator's subjectivity from a new translation carrier, which is My Country and My People, in which Lin Yutang's subjectivity in his translation is developed into the fullest extent. The author devotes to analyze the translation parts in this book. In reality, My Country and My People was written by Lin Yutang in English, but, some parts of it were borrowed and reproduced from other Chinese works. In this sense, the quoted parts must have been translated into English for the book itself is a English writing. So, this kind of behavior can be regarded as translation or at least adapted translation. With the purpose of publicizing Chinese culture, Lin Yutang translated quotations in My Country and My people freely and smartly. The adopted translating methods are changeable under the translating strategies of both Foreignization and Domestication.This thesis firstly explores the change of translator's status, the visibility of translator's subjectivity and its manifestation in translator's choice of source text, translating strategies, translating standards, cultural consciousness and compilation etc.. Secondly, by combining translator's subjectivity with Lin Yutang's translating experience and translation theory, the thesis author definitely studies and analyzes Lin Yutang's translator's subjectivity represented on such facets as: his choice of source materials, his translation strategies of domestication and foreignization, his literal translation and free translation methods, his compilation of some quotations. Thirdly, by taking Lin Yutang's My Country and My People as a case study, the author specificly analyzes Lin Yutang's translator's subjectivity represented on his translation of Chinese quotations, cultural words and expressions, cultural idioms as well as Chinese ancient poems.From the analysis, the thesis author obtains three enlightenments on Lin Yutangs'subjectivity in his translation.Firstly, translator's subjectivity exists almost everywhere in translating activity. In the process of translation, the translated version would be unconsciously influenced by the translator's ideas, opinions, outlooks of world and life as well as his previous general knowledge. That is to say, the translator will deliberately or unconsciously add his own insight and thought into the translated version in the course of translating. In the process of translation, translator's subjectivity is mainly represented on the choice and manipulation of the original, re-creation, translating strategies and methods etc..Secondly, from the analysis of Lin Yutang's subjectivity of his translation in My Country and My People, it is concluded that Lin Yutang's translation methods are diverse under the translating strategies of domestication and foreignization, such as: literal and free translation methods, transliteration, compilation and compensation etc.. In his translation, he is not only managing to maintain Chinese exotic flavor but also making his translation understandable and acceptable.Thirdly, by taking the book My Country and My People as a case study, it is suggested that Lin Yutang's English writings such as My Country and My People, the Moment In Peking, the Importance of Living and some other English books can also be used as the studying objects in terms of analyzing his translator's subjectivity, for in these English writing books, the translated parts can also be good materials for the research or study on his translation in translation field.