The Translator’s Subjectivity In Feminist Translation Theory

Cultural turn has brought great influence on translation theories and its practice, and with its appearance, translation researchers began to pay attention to some exterior elements that influence translation, such as culture, economy, politics, and ecology. Translation begins to transfer from a passive and still process to an active one. Feminist translation theory became prominent in the mid-twentieth century and began to project to the research of cultural field. As the combined fruit of newly translation theory and feminist movement, feminist translation theory hewed out a brand new angle for translation studies. The integration of feminism and translation pushes forward the progress of translation studies and enriches its research angle, so the author of this thesis explores one of the hot topics in translation studies—translators subjectivity.Centering on the purpose of translation and the translator’s subjectivity, western feminist translation theory subverts traditional translation theory. In this thesis, the author discusses it mainly from two aspects. On one hand, feminist translation theory stresses the symbiosis between the source text and the translation version, between the author and the translator. Besides, feminist translators unveil the gender analogies in traditional translation theory where women and translators are subsidiary and inferior. On the other hand, feminist translation theory overturns traditional standard of faithfulness, advocating reinterpreting "fidelity" from perspective of feminism. Fidelity in feminist translation theory is achieved by the "writing project," in which both the author and the translator participate.Meanwhile, the project emphasizes the process and result of translating, which affirms the translator’s subjectivity to a great extent. As for its specific practice in feminist translation theory, it is mainly embodied in the conscious selection of materials and strategies. In practice, feminist translators abolish the traditional view of "translator’s invisibility" to manifest the translator’s subjectivity. Feminist translators try to make females distinct in languages and keep their voice heard by using proper translation strategies. It’s easy for us to find their amazing innovation and unswerving pursuit for freedom injects new blood in translation studies, as well as brings enlightenment to the study of translators’subjectivity.Combing translation theory with its practice, this thesis chooses two English versions of Li Qingzhao’s ci-poems:one is translated by a female translator, Mao Yumei, and the other is translated by a male translator, Xu Yuanzhong, as the case study. The author tries to analyze the characteristics of feminist translators in China, and reflect on their unique translation strategies. By making a case study of the two English translations of Li Qingzhao’s ci-poems, i.e., Mao Yumei’s and Xu Yuanzhong’s, this thesis tries to make it clear how Mao Yumei emphasizes her creativity and subjectivity in translation process.