Is Translator Invisible In Literary Translation?

The translator’s invisibility is a hot topic of translation studies, which not only involves the translating strategies, but also has a close relationship with the status of the translator. For a long time, it is believed that the translator is invisible if he or she takes "domestication" translating strategies; visible if takes the "foreignization" translation strategy. However, affected by the long-standing translation transparent theory, most of the translators prefer "domestication" translating strategy and they have no objection being called "servant". Thus they are usually considered as "invisible man" for their humble role by the reader.This thesis is the translation practice report about1-4chapters of the novel The History of History which tells a story about amnesia-individual amnesia, cultural amnesia, and historical amnesia. Released in the U.S. in2011, it was highly praised for its bold imagination, unique insights and superb artistic skills. It is very difficult to translate this novel because of the author’s delicate language, rich emotion and bizarre narrative. With the translator’s role as the starting point, the writer began the translation of the four chapters, and deeply appreciated that the translation is a profound art. Any kind of translation activities are inseparable from the translator who plays a decisive role during translation, inseparable from the translator’s re-understanding and re-expression of the things recognized by the original author. Actually, the translator’s role is unique and cannot be replaced. A good translation work is not only the crystallization of this re-understanding and re-expression, but the proof of the translator’s unique role.Is the translator really invisible during the translation? What kind of role does the translator play? In the past, translator’s role was positioned nothing more than the role of reader, the role of author, the role of researcher, and the role of re-creator, and also the identity of reader, the identity of author and the identity of researcher. For the multiple roles of the translator, this thesis focuses on "translator" and "target language creator". Combining this translation practice, the writer explores the exchange of the roles between "translator"(seeking the truth of the original) and "target language creator"(seeking the use of the translation), the translator’s choice between the different translating strategies, and the interaction between this roles’exchange and the strategies’ choice. The writer re-identified the translator’s role according to this interaction. Results obtained:if the translator selects the "foreignization" translation strategy, he can reveal himself in the form; if the translator selects the "domestication" translation strategy, thought he is invisible in the form, he can reveal himself in the process and the content of translation. So, translator, regardless of what translation strategy he chose, is not invisible. The translator plays an important role in translation, and he is a combination of the "translator" and the "target language creator".