A Descriptive Study Of Translator Behavior Through Arthur Waley’s Translation Of Xi You Ji

The traditional studies of Chinese classics focus on the degree of the resemblance between the original and the translation, which is due to the special cultural implications of Chinese classics. Therefore, most of the studies on Chinese classic translation emphasize the comparison between SL texts and TL texts, neglecting the description of translator behavior and the motivations behind it. Under the "truth-seeking—utility-attaining" model of continuum of evaluation towards translator behavior constructed by Professor Zhou Lingshun, this thesis intends to give a detailed analysis to Arthur Waley’s behavior on the basis of his vernacularization translation of Xi You Ji. The author is going to give a description to Waley’s "utility-attaining" strategies and analyze his motivations, by which the author hopes to generalize a perspective of translation criticism centering on translator behavior.Among those complete translated edition and partly translated edition, Monkey, translated by Arthur Waley, is a book with significance of milestone. Waley took the novel as "a long fairy tale" and recognized the complexity of the novel by stating that,"Monkey is unique in its combination of beauty with absurdity, of profundity with nonsense. Folk-lore, allegory, religion, history, anti-bureaucratic satire and pure poetry—such are the singularly diverse elements out of which the book is compounded."(Waley,1958:6). From its publishing in1942to the year of1966, Monkey was republished for five times. Waley’s translation made Xi You Ji a very popular Chinese story in Europe, and he made great contribution to the spread of this novel. Over the years, translators and scholars speak highly of Monkey, and regard the language in his translation is smooth and exquisite. Still, there are few detailed studies on this translation, and we also can hardly find papers or works on this translation from the perspective of translator behavior.The research of translator behavior should be put under the background of descriptive translation study. Translation critics should give objective analysis to the translator behavior. The translator shoulders dual-responsibility which is decided by their two basic attributes—language and society:to "seek the truth" from the SL texts, and to "attaining utility" by means of the translation. At the same time, the translator’s social background determines the degree of his utility attaining behavior. To put it under "truth-seeking—utility-attaining" model of continuum of evaluation towards translator behavior, we can find out that a translator’s behavior may slant towards the author/the SL texts, or the target reader/the target society, with the state of gradual changes in between.Through the analysis of Monkey, Arthur Waley’s translation behavior belonged to the latter. His "utility-attaining" translation especially manifests the following aspects: the adjustment of the structure of the original; translation of language cultural factors; the interpretation of the theme and Sun Wukong’s image. We can figure out that all these vernacularization translation centered on the translator’s "utility-attaining" aim.The conclusion of this thesis is:a translator’s duty is not only be faithful to the original, but also to have a clear understanding to the complexity of the translation behavior, which presupposes the sociality of translation activity. In this process, the translator may be affected by different social constraints, which determine the degree of his utility attaining behavior. Translation is a historical, social and cultural activity. Therefore, every translation is branded with certain characteristics of that time, as well as the translator’s personality, which make the translation vary from the original in forms and contents. Chinese classics possess special cultural and literature implications, which sometimes are difficult for the TL readers to understand. Translators decide the degree of "truth-seeking" and "utility-attaining" according to certain factors of TL market, for example, the aesthetical needs of TL readers. Translation critics should give reasonable analysis towards translator "utility-attaining" behavior.This thesis is divided into five parts:Chapter one is an introduction of research purpose and research method of this thesis, and the problems to be solved. Chapter two is literature review, which gives a brief introduction to the studies on Chinese classics translation and the novel Xi You Ji and its translation, including Monkey translated by Arthur Waley, and the influence of Monkey in western world.Chapter three is theoretical framework, reviewing on the paradigmatic shift from prescriptive to descriptive translation studies, with the latter being focal point. The dialectics of the "truth-seeking—utility-attaining" model of continuum of evaluation towards translator behavior constructed by Professor Zhou Lingshun within the framework of descriptive studies is also elaborated in this chapter.In chapter four, the author gives an objective description of Arthur Waley’s "utility-attaining" translation behavior from the following aspects:the adjustment of the structure of the original; domestic translation of language cultural factors; the interpretation of the theme and Sun Wukong’s image. The motivations of the translator’s behavior are also given in this chapter.Chapter five is the conclusion, pointing out the limitations of the thesis and the prospects of future study.