A Comparative Study On The Two English Versions Of Chang Sheng Dian

Under traditional translation studies, translation is derivative, fake, potentially a false copy. Such an underestimation of the value of translation and source text oriented approach result in the invisibility of the translator, which furthers the degraded position of the translator and his/her ambiguous identity.After the cultural turn, especially based on hermeneutics, translation theorists begin to pay more and more attention to the translator, one of the most important subjects. They realize that translator never is and should not be a neutral machine of transmitter without any individual characteristics and flavour, and that during the whole process of translation, several subjects get involved, such as the author, the translator and target text reader. Though being limited by many factors, the translator can exert his/her subjectivity in several aspects. He/she may have relative freedom in choosing a source text, understanding the source text from his/her unique perspective, and outputting into the target text in his/her style. This is translator's subjectivity.Chang Sheng Dian is the masterpiece of Heng Sheng. As one important part of the Chinese classics, it gained great popularity upon its publication. The present thesis is theoretically based on translator's subjectivity, and aims at the comparative study of the two English versions, one by Professors Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang, and the other by Professor He Yubin. The thesis is divided into five chapters.In chapter one, Introduction, it introduces the general information about the research background, research significance, research method and the thesis outline.The following four chapters will be the detailed and systematic comparative study carried out on the two English versions of Chang Sheng Dian from the perspective of translator's subjectivity.To be more exact, chapter two will be devoted to the literature review of the study on the source text, Chang Sheng Dian, and its translation. Since it is about the Chinese classic, a third section will be on the theory of translator's subjectivity in translating the Chinese classics.Chapter three provides the theoretical framework of this thesis, translator's subjectivity, as the support of comparative study and conclusion from the three stages of the whole translation process:the choice of ST, the interpreting of ST and the outputting of ST.Chapter four presents a detailed comparative study from the three stages, namely they are:the choice of ST, the interpreting of ST and the outputting of ST. The outputting of ST is presented from the translation of literary allusions, personal names, Qu Pai and ending poems.And last but not the least, chapter five will summarize and make a tentative conclusion on how differently the two translators manipulate their subjectivity while translating from the perspective of translator's subjectivity.