A Tentative Study On Lin Yutang’s Translation Thoughts From The Perspective Of Eco-translatology

Eco-translatology emerges in the context of the global ecologization and is viewed as thecreature of the mutual infiltration of Ecology and Translation. It is―an ecological approach totranslation studies‖proposed by Hu Gengshen, a professor in Tsinghua University, basing onDarwin‘s theory of evolution. Centering on the translator, guided by "adaptation/selection",Eco-translatology makes a new interpretation to the nature, process, standards and principlesof translation. It emphasizes on the translational holism and provides us a new perspective tore-examine the translation. In Eco-translatology, translational ecosystem is considered as a―harmonious unity‖. The idea of―translator-centeredness‖is the nucleus of the theory, whichnot only reflected in the fact that the translator has to possess special qualities to complete the―adaptation/selection‖in translational activities but also embodied in the selection conductedby the translational eco-environment after the translator‘s selection, i.e.,―post-event penalty‖.Lin Yutang devoted his whole life to cultural communication between east and west. Henot only produced numerous bestsellers in literature and translation but also made greatcontributions to translation theory. His On Translation completely displayed his translationthoughts with approximate10,000Chinese characters. In this article, Lin pointed out thequalities a translator should possess, put forward the translation standards of―faithfulness‖,―fluency‖and―beauty‖as well as the―sentence-for-sentence‖translation principle. Besides,he emphasized the importance of psychology in translation. Lin‘s translation thoughts notonly lay foundation for Chinese translation theory, but also enlighten following translators toa high degree. Though the domestic translation academy has already made some researcheson Lin Yutang, there are few researches on his translation thoughts from the perspective ofEco-transaltology.There are many links between Lin‘s translation thoughts and Eco-translatology. Thisthesis aims to employ the idea of―harmonious unity‖and―translator-centeredness‖toanalyze Lin‘s translation thoughts. For Lin, his growing environment of equality and harmony,the perfect fusion of east and west as well as the advocate of the Doctrine of the Mean and the Integration of Nature and Humanity are all the reflects of his―harmonious unity‖, whichlay a foundation for his later translation thoughts. In terms of Lin‘s translation thoughts, hisadvancing of―sentence-for-sentence translation‖, the top-down psychology in translation andthe integration of―faithfulness‖,―fluency‖and―beauty‖are also a display of the―harmonious unity‖. In addition, Lin‘s strict demands on translator‘s quality andresponsibility, his selective adaptation to the eco-environment and adaptive selection of thefinal target text show his identification with the idea of―translator-centeredness‖. The factthat Lin‘s translation thoughts are still popular at present not only shows their―survival of thefittest‖but also indicates the perfection of―translator-centeredness‖. Exploring Lin‘stranslation thoughts from the perspective of Eco-translatology will contribute not only to thefurther understanding of Lin‘s translation thoughts but also to the examination of interpretingtranslation in terms of Eco-translatology.