A Comparative Study On Translation Notions Of The Literature Research Society And The Creation Society

In1921, the first pure literary society of modern China, the Literature Research Society (short for the LRS) and another very important society in Chinese literary history, the Creation Society (short for the CS) were established one after another. Both engaging in literary creation and translation, they made great contribution to the development of China’s new literature. Advocating "Literature for Life", the LRS introduced and translated a large number of works of realism from eastern and northern Europe and especially some literary works from the oppressed nations. With the belief of "Art for Art’s Sake", the CS was keen on the introduction and translation of romantic works. And in the translation process, while the former tended to adopt foreignization. and method of literal translation, the latter tended to choose domestication and free translation. In short, their different translation behaviors in translation activities formed a sharp contrast.Holmes proposed the mapping of translation studies in "The Name and Nature of Translation Studies" in1972, which is used as the theoretical framework of the present thesis to make a comparative translation study between the LRS and the CS. Being incorporated into the original social and cultural contexts, the two societies’ opinions on literature and politics, translation activities and their viewpoints to ward translation are compared and analyzed through the study of their major publications and the key members’discussions on translation so as to reveal possible cultural constraints in the social and historical frame. Theories from manipulative school in translation studies are also applied to the deeper investigation of their differences in selection of source texts and adoption of translation strategies and methods so as to reveal the specific cultural constraints which restricted the two to make different choices in translation.A comparative study of the LRS and the CS does not mean to make a distinction between them, or to figure out which is right or wrong and which is better or worse, but to analyze the underlying causes to their differences, at the same time to find out topics of great reference value for translation studies.