On Pearl S. Buck’s Translation Of Shui Hu Zhuan: An Eco-translatological Perspective

Since the mid-20th century, the global industrial modernization has brought aboutcrises in both natural ecology and spiritual ecology. People began to reflect on the mode ofdevelopment of modern civilization and felt the urgent need to reconstruct ecologicalcivilization. By integrating ecological thinking into the research, a series of burgeoninginterdisciplinary subjects have been formed and developed. The ecological thinking hasprovided a new paradigm for translation studies in China, casting a ray of hope on theChinese translation circles which got lost in the tidal waves of deconstruction. Nourishedand nurtured by the ecological wisdom of the ancient Chinese philosophy, eco-translatologycame into being under the influence of the system science, complexity science and theirrational deconstruction of the core of traditional translation theories by deconstructionism.Based on the concept of isomorphic metaphor and conceptual analogy between translationalecosystem and natural ecosystem, eco-translatology includes all the elements involved inthe whole translational eco-environment. Through research on translation activities from anecological perspective, new interpretations have been provided as to the nature of translationactivity, translator’s status and role, translation process, translation methods and translationevaluation standards.As the first complete English translation of Shui Hu Zhuan, Pearl S. Buck’s All MenAre Brothers is a representation of her central role in adaptation to the translationaleco-environment and the selection of translation material, version of the novel, translationstrategies as well as multi-dimensional transformations. The translational eco-environmentinfluences every link in the whole process of translation activity, from the production to thedissemination and reception of a translation. Pearl S. Buck’s selective adaptation andadaptive selection fully illustrates the complexity of translation activity and translator’sbehavior.From the perspective of eco-translatology, this paper aims at making objectiveevaluations on Pearl S. Buck’s translation and exploring her cultural values and subjectivityas a translator under the influence of her unique language cultural identity and social historical background. The study and evaluation of the translator should be carried outagainst specific historical, social and cultural backgrounds instead of being confined totraditional standards of loyalty or accuracy. Only by placing the translator and histranslation in the whole translational ecosystem can just and objective evaluations beachieved. Eco-translatology advocates a more liberal and tolerant attitudes when it comes toobjective evaluations of a translator and his translation activity as well as the interpretationof cultural significance and the subjective value of the translator behind the translationstrategies adopted. The study of Pearl S. Buck’s translation from the perspective ofeco-translatology may also shed light on the translation and dissemination of Chineseclassical literature in the new era.