The Translation Of Wo De Diwang Shengya From The Combined Perspective Of Translation Norms And The Subjectivity Of The Translator

Since the1980s, significant efforts have been made to promote the “Going-out”of the contemporary Chinese literature. Among the contemporary Chinese writerswhose works have been translated abroad, Su Tong is one of the most influential ones.Since the publication of the English version of his novel Wo De Diwang Shengya in2005which was translated by Howard Goldblatt, the acclaimed “premierEnglish-language translator of the contemporary Chinese literature”, it has gainednotice and positive comments from the western mainstream media and readers.The paper carries out a detailed study of Goldblatt’s response to thecorresponding translation norms when translating Wo De Diwang Shengya bydiscussing the typical translation examples. Moreover, it aims to reveal the outcomeof the translator’s response to the current dominant translation norms for thecontemporary Chinese literature based on the reception of the novel. Such kind ofanalysis discloses both the success and some inefficiencies of the translation. It isbelieved that to study translation from the perspective of the combined perspective ofnorms and subjectivity of the translator adds to the objectivity and comprehensivenessto the research.Translation norms are reflected at every stage of the production of Wo DeDiwang Shengya, including the selection and the translating part. Conforming to thecurrently dominant translation norms appropriately and adopting the propertranslation strategies are vital to the successful reception of a translated work. It isexpected that the specific discussion of the foregoing points would shed some light onthe proper strategies of the translation of the contemporary Chinese literature.