| Translation Studies has undergone a dramatic change since1970s. Traditionally, the research object is the equivalence between source text and target text, and the translation principle that whether the target text is faithful is the unique standard to measure the quality of translation. Traditional translation study has achieved great success in the past hundreds of years, but the shortcomings emerged at the same time that it cannot explain why plenty of translated texts are unfaithful to the original. Indeed, it is inevitable for the translators to rewrite these source texts because they have no choice but to make the translated texts more acceptable for their target readers so as to realize their specific purposes. Therefore, the prescriptive approach in traditional translation study has its limitation.The descriptive translation study (DTS) emerged in1970s has come in vogue since1990s. It puts more emphasis on the cultural aspect of translation that it provides translation study with new means and views, which enables it to avoid the shortcomings in perspective approach, and brings the social, historical and cultural factors into consideration.The research on translation in late Qing Dynasty in China has increased rapidly in recent years and a number of scholars set out their research in this field from the cultural aspect and have achieved success to a large extent.As China had become the semi-colonized and semi-feudal society and Chinese people were deeply suppressed by foreign invaders and local autocratic rulers, most translators believed that they had to undertake the serious responsibility of enlightening the people and rejuvenating the country, thus they usually manipulate their translation practice-to rewrite the source text with specific ideology to fulfill their duty. Meanwhile, because of the cultural discrepancy between China and the West, the translators had to rewrite the source texts in order to make it more acceptable for Chinese readers. Moreover, the patron of the translators in late Qing Dynasty also played an important role in their translation practice as it funded the translators who belonged to its political camp or offered political interests to them so as to exert its influence on these translators (From Lefevere, the patron limited the writers, rewriters and the readers of literature to a small coterie dominated by the court and the officials, and it could impose its ideology and poetics by making them a part of the requirements to be met by those who wanted to belong to that coterie.).The translation theorist Andre Lefevere points out in his rewriting theory that translation is municipality, as well as rewriting, which is an effective means of maintaining the vitality of literary works. In translation, ideology, poetics and patronage play a dominant role; poetics plays an indispensable role in the inner literary system while ideology and patronage are the determining factors in the outer literary system. The translator rewrites the source text under the influence of the three factors.This thesis intends to explore the Chinese translation of a historical book entitled Famous Assassinations of History From Philip of Macedon,336B.C., to Alexander of Servia,1903, A.D. written by an American writer Francis Johnson. Its Chinese version 《血史》 is translated by a Chinese Reformist Liang Qixun 《梁启勋1879-1965) in late Qing Dynasty. This thesis takes a descriptive approach and the rewriting theory as the theoretical basis, to reveal the relation between the Reformists in late Qing Dynasty and the nihilistic thoughts, and the role the Reformists played in the translation, introduction and spread of nihilistic thoughts in that period. This thesis consists of three parts. The first part (Chapter One) introduces the research aim and significance of the study, as well as the structure and the literature review of this thesis. Meanwhile, the research questions will be put forward.The main body of this thesis includes Chapter Two, Chapter Three and Chapter Four. Chapter Two explains why the translator chose an unknown historical text to translate, from the aspects of ideology, poetics, patronage and the expectation of the reader. Chapter Three analyzes the translator’s rewriting of the source text from the ideological aspect, which includes the translator’s compliment and criticism on the nihilists, the awareness of his democratic and constitutional thoughts, and his replacement of ideological concept. Chapter Four discusses the translator’s rewriting of the source text from the poetic aspect, in which the analysis is further divided into the influence of the inventory component of poetics and the functional component of poetics. The present author is going to make a deep analysis of the relation between the Reformists and the nihilistic thoughts.The last chapter (Chapter Five) is the conclusion of the whole thesis, in which the author answers the research questions brought forward in the first part. He summarizes the reason of the translator’s choice of the source text, the translator’s rewriting of the source text from ideological and poetic aspect, and the social influence of the target text 《血史》 in late Qing Dynasty after its publication. Then he concludes the findings of his research:the relation between the Reformist and nihilistic thoughts. |
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