Manipulated Translation Of Literature On The Cutural Revolution

In the1980s,"Wound Literature" and "Reflection Literature" on the Cultural Revolution dominated the Chinese mainland literature. However, their overseas counterpart-literature on the Cultural Revolution in English by overseas Chinese-was less noted. These writings on the Cultural Revolution, after highly acclaimed abroad, were translated into Chinese, forming an intriguing cultural phenomenon. Authors of these works are mainly overseas Chinese, who are under the profound influence of both Chinese and Western cultures. And their works are penned on the relatively sensitive motif of the Cultural Revolution in China. Therefore, the translation of these books is more than language transcoding, as it also brings the Chinese and Western cultures into direct confrontation.Nevertheless, current studies on the translation of overseas Chinese literature are mostly about a few noted authors such as Amy Tan, Maxine Hong Kingston, Chen Ran and Ha Jin. And most of the works are confined to the following three angles:specific translation strategies, problems in back translation and subjectivity of the translators. Currently, there are few studies of overseas Chinese literature on the specific motif of the Cultural Revolution, and studies on the translation of these works are even sparser, if any. In light of this, this thesis will conduct a case study on the translation of Life and Death in Shanghai, which is most representative of its kind, so as to shed light on the translation of overseas literature on the Cultural Revolution.Life and Death in Shanghai is an autobiography by Nien Cheng and it depicts her harrowing experience from the inception of the Cultural Revolution to the1980s when she left China. Because of the sensitivity of its motif and Nien Cheng’s special cultural and political positions, the book was revised to a great extent by the translator and the publisher in its Chinese version, which at core is manipulation by social and cultural factors. Therefore, this thesis will adopt Andre Lefevere’s Manipulation Theory as its theoretical foundation and select a number of translation examples to illustrate how the translation is manipulated by social and cultural factors, which mainly include mainstream ideology, patronage and poetics.After a close examination, the author concluded that among the three manipulative factors of mainstream ideology, patronage and poetics, the translation is most influenced by the ideology factor. In the1980s, China witnesses relaxed control on people’s thoughts and massive reflection on the Cultural Revolution. However, the socialist ideology still held sway in people’s lives. In this special context, the translators didn’t tone down criticism against the Red Guards and the Gang of Four, and they even exaggerated the culprits’ atrocity at times. In stark contrast, ill words against Mao Zedong, the Communist Party of China and Communism were watered down or even obliterated. Besides, the translators also resorted to translator’s notes to clarify historical facts.The manipulation by patronage is executed by the publisher and readers. The publisher plays a decisive role in the selection of works to be translated and it also uses specific publishing strategies as a manipulation device. In the selection of works, absent of mandatory political orders, the publisher in the1980s got to choose works that brought economic returns and at that time literary works on the Cultural Revolution was in great demand, hence the translation of Life and Death in Shanghai. In publishing strategies, the publisher changed the genre of the book from autobiography into documentary fiction and it tampered with "AUTHOR’S NOTE" and "Praise for Life and Death in Shanghai" in order to protect itself from punishment for going against mainstream political ideology. The second important patron is the readers. Firstly, readers’ demand facilitated the translation. In1980s, overseas literature and the Cultural Revolution literature were most desired by readers, so the publishing of Life and Death in Shanghai was more than natural as it stood at the intersection of the two kinds of literature. Secondly, readers’ need to vent their pent-up anger against the Cultural Revolution led to the enhancement of character conflicts, thus novelizing the whole book. Rewriting in this regard is mainly manifested in the manipulation by poetics.The third manipulative factor-poetics-comprises an inventory component and a functional component, which respectively affect literary devices and the selection of motifs to be translated. The influence of the inventory component on literary devices was displayed in the novelization of the book and the use of Chinese idioms. Catering to readers’ need to vent anger, the translators deliberately dramatized the characters’ emotions and intensified conflicts. The novelization, though appealing to readers, harmed the objective and calm narrative of the English version and reduced characters to stereotypes. Besides, the stability of the inventory factor contributed to the use of a large number of Chinese idioms. In some cases, the English words were obviously translated from Chinese idioms, so the idioms were reproduced in Chinese. However, at most times, the translators were using idioms creatively to close the distance between readers and the target text. The functional component in poetics mainly influenced the selection of motifs to be translated. Literature in1980s was tasked to liberate people’s minds and to change the society, and Life and Death in Shanghai seemed to be a book that could contribute. After its first edition, Life and Death in Shanghai was never republished, which was not only due to the political situation at that time, but also because of the rise of revolution literature. It is safe to say that the functional component was responsible for both the prosperity of literature on the Cultural Revolution and its demise.