Re-examination Of The Western Translation Studies From The Perspective Of Paradigm Theory

Giving a panoramic observation of western translation, we will find that the formal research on translation goes far back to the distinctions between two different translation methods, namely word-for-word translation and sense-for-sense translation, proposed by Marcus Tullius Cicero. Up to now, more than two thousand years have passed in the history of translation study. In the 20^th century, great progress has been made in the field of translation study. New opinions and different schools are emerging one after another, with the situation of a hundred schools of thought contending in translation field. Some scholars advocate examining the history of translation study from the angle of paradigm, that is , the history of translation study is the shift of research paradigms, experiencing the transition from the classical paradigm to the linguistic paradigm and then to the cultural paradigm. In addition, some scholars even propose the German Functionalism Paradigm, the paradigm of the French interpretive theory, post-colonialism paradigm, deconstructionism paradigm and philosophical paradigm and so on.There is a phenomenon affording much food for reflection. When translation scholars both at home and abroad are talking about the translation study, they just take for granted that the development of translation study is the history of paradigm shifts, simply listing different paradigms of translation theory according to their own understanding. No research on paradigm has been conducted. Rarely do they explain what are paradigm and paradigm shift. It seems that everyone know what is paradigm. Perhaps some people think that this question is of no significance. However, the writer thinks that it is pivotal to make clear the concept of paradigm and the theory of paradigm shift so as to discuss the question that"is the development of western Translation Studies paradigm shift or not?"The development of western Translation Studies is not the shift of research paradigms, just as many scholars said. This thesis, based on the American scholar Thomas Kuhn's paradigm theory, clearly points out that due to the differences in theoretical assumption and research techniques, it is improper to label different translation schools as the classical paradigm﹑the linguistic paradigm and the cultural paradigm without discrimination. Moreover, people with even slight scientific knowledge will know that the paradigm shifts in physics and astronomy take places every one or two hundred years even several hundred years. The recent paradigm shift in psychology also happens several decades later since its previous paradigm was established. However, in terms of the so-called translation paradigms, several paradigm shifts, even dozens of shifts have occurred in several decades, which is unusual compared with other disciplines. For the so-called paradigm in the field of translation which is shifting from one to another in short time since its establishment, it can hardly be classified as paradigm because there is no enough time to set up its own stable theoretical framework. Therefore, the change and development in the history of western translation research is not the shift of paradigm, but the shift of viewpoints or academic interests.Examining the current western Translation Studies, the situation of a hundred schools of thought contending in translation field shows that on the one hand the current translation research is very active. The translation study brings together approaches from a wide range of language and cultural studies, modifying them for its own use and developing a brand-new interdisciplinary character. However, on the other hand, it also indicates certain confusion and disorder in Translation Studies to some extent. Much remains to be done on the road towards the establishment of Translation Studies as an independent discipline.