The Ideological Manipulation In Translation

The thesis intends to discuss how ideology manipulates the whole process of translation on the theoretical basis of Andre Lefevere’s rewriting theory. From the selection of translation material. the choice of translation strategies to the operational stage of translation. the influence of ideology is like an invisible hand which manipulates translation all the time. As the first vernacular novel in China, Shui Hu Zhuan is one of the four great classic novels of Chinese literature, well known by its distinguishing linguistic features. The108characters are portrayed in unique and vivid personality. This world-known masterpiece has been rendered into different languages. There are four full English versions of Shui Hu Zhuan, each of which has got mixed reviews from the translation field. And Shapiro’s edition is employed as a case study in this thesis.According to Andre Lefevere’ rewriting theory. any works is rewriting, and translation is the most obviously recognizable type of rewriting. Translation does not happen in a vacuum. On the contrary, it’s manipulated by ideology, poetics, and patronage. Above all, ideology is one of the most important manipulative factors. By analyzing the dominant ideology of given times and a case study on Shapiro’s Ouilaws of the Marsh, it proves that ideology manipulates the selection of translation material and the choice of translation strategies. In the decoding stage of translation, misreading occurs owing to presupposition. Whether it’s conscious or unconscious misreading, both are manipulated by ideology. Translation is to some extent a kind of rewriting under the control of political, religious, and aesthetic ideology in the process of encoding.The thesis draws the following conclusion. The ideological manipulation on translation runs throughout the whole translation process. Accoding to Lefevere. any works is a rewriting on the base of the content of original works. Aware of the ideological manipulation on translation, translator is supposed to avoid misreading and mistranslation under the control of ideology. Or the source text will be distorted and its accuracy and objectivity cannot be guaranteed to some degree.