A Comparative Study Of Translator’s Subjectivity In Translating Don Juan

Translator’s subjectivity has become a hot issue in translation study. Currently, manytheories, including feminism, deconstructionism, hermeneutics have been applied to theresearch of translator’s subjectivity. The translation process is a complex and dynamic processwhich involves many factors. Translator is not only the reader of the original work, but alsothe creator of the target text. In his or her translation process, the translator will show his orher subjectivity unavoidably. This thesis attempts to study the different forms and roles oftranslator’s subjectivity from the perspective of the hermeneutic translation theory. In order toinvestigate the translator’s subjectivity, this thesis will take the two Chinese versions of DonJuan as a case study.As one of the primary translation theories, hermeneutics offers a theoretical basis forexplaining and describing the translator’s subjectivity. The translator’s subjectivity reflects thetranslator’s re-creation and it penetrates in every aspect of translation activity. According tohermeneutics, a translator will inevitably display his subjectivity in the translation processbecause absolute faithfulness in translation can never be reached. In the process oftransforming the original text into the target text, the translator is recreative and he is alsoinfluenced by some factors, such as the rules for language transformation, the features of theoriginal language and the target language, the cultural, linguistic and aesthetic approach of theoriginal text, the dominant translation approaches, etc. The translator displays his subjectivityin the translation process in order to cater for the target culture’s demand.Mu Dan and Zhu Weiji exert different subjectivities in translating Don Juan. Mu Dan’susing of Chinese four-character phrases and Chinese idiomatic expressions caters to theaesthetic attitude of the target readers. Zhu Weiji’s version is faithful and smooth. The twotranslators work hard to reproduce the original’s beauties in emotion and artistic conception.Mu Dan and Zhu’s different endeavors in importing the original’s meaning and form lead totheir different versions and this justifies the translator’s initiative in translation process. Thetwo translators’“prejudices” and “horizons” enable them to exert their creativities intranslation process. In poetry translation, the most important thing is to represent the emotionsand artistic conception of the original in the target language. The representation depends on the subjective initiatives of the translators in artistic creation. Mu Dan and Zhu Weijihold different principles in translating Don Juan because of their own subjective factors. MuDan mainly adopts free translation while Zhu Weiji mainly adopts literal translation. Thethesis analyzes the factors which constrain their translation process, such as their differentsocial and cultural backgrounds, intended readership and life experiences. These constraintsjustify the translator’s passivity in translation.It is concluded that in literary translation the translator’s subjectivity is the integration ofinitiative and passivity. The translator’s subjective initiative includes his translation strategy,his understanding of the original, etc and the constraints of his social and historicalbackground, the intended readership, etc show the translator’s passivity.