A Study On Two Translation Versions Of Moment In Peking From The Perspective Of Translation Norm Theory

Traditional translation studies are oriented towards source language, usually focusing on the definition of "standard" and its specific items to decide what translation is. The result often leads to concepts like "loyalty" or "equivalence". These studies are only analyses of translation text on the linguistic level, compared with modern translation studies. It lacks descriptive language to analyze the text and an overall observation on every detail of the translation process. Descriptive Translation Studies (DTS) represented by Toury, Lefevere, Hermans, Chesterman and some other scholars, are "target language-oriented", putting translation text into the large background of target language system.In this way, linguistic study from traditional translation studies is inherited and preserved, while a new way of studying translation text can be expanded. Among these scholars, Toury and Chesterman put forward Translation Norm Theory respectively and introduced into translation study the concept of "norms", which is of strong descriptive characteristic. In their theories, the effect of target language environment towards translation works exists as "norms", which influence not only the linguistic ability of translator, but also translator’s behavior and strategy. Chesterman upgraded norm theory on the basis of Toury’s and classified these norms as product norms and process norms in a more specific and a more practical way.Based on the theoretical foundation of Chesterman’s norms theory and his related descriptive translation ideas, this thesis takes two translation versions of Moment in Peking----Zhang Zhenyu’s and Yu Fei’s as subjects and tries to compare the translations affected by expectancy norm, accountability norm, communication norm and relation norm. After a comprehensive investigation into the two translations, the author assumes that1) norm embrace social, cultural and political factors. It affects translator’s education, translation notion and language skill in the long term, and influences translation process in the short term.2) Due to the differences between social and cultural contexts, the two translators have been influenced more or less by diversified norms. Although translators conform norms in most circumstances, the subjectivity of translator offers them the possibility to make a different choice on translation strategy, with which translations are diversified and new norms are offered chance to form.3) The acceptability of translation in extensive target readers and the writing objective of original writer are the main factors that respectively influence the two translators’ strategy.