On Translator’s Creative Treason

Since translation came into being, people have described translators with various words:"tongue men","servant","matchmaker","translation machine" etc. These nicknames of the translator are largely the manifestation of the translator’s image as well as people’s impression of translation. A saying in Italy reads "Translator, traitor". Although it has some negative sense, it is true to some extent. However how can the translators not go too far in his deviation?Translation is always a creative treason. Translation is "treason", because deviation is inevitable in translation. Translation is "creation" because with its help, the source text assumes a new look and gains the ability to communicate with a wider range of readers. Creative treason can be divided into translator’s creative treason and reader’s creative treason. This thesis dwells upon translator’s creative treason. Translator’s creative treason is an expression of the translator’s subjectivity. On the one hand it allows the translator to deviate from the author and the source text. On the other hand it prevents the translator from arbitrary interpretation of the source text. With the help of hermeneutics, the thesis displayed the theoretical basis of translator’s creative treason. Pre-understanding and horizon fusion are important notions in hermeneutics. As a result of the historicity of interpretation, people always interpret with a unique pre-understanding at work. Because of the underlying influence of pre-understanding, translator’s deviation from the source text cannot be avoided. Pre-understanding also determines the horizon of the interpreter. Therefore horizons of the author, reader and translator cannot overlap. In the translation process, translator has to fuse these horizons together and generate a new horizon. As a result of the inevitability of deviation from the source text, translator cannot help but rewrite the source text to a certain degree when his horizon is in conflict with the author’s. In the rewriting theory, ideology is key notion of the three factors that manipulated translation. Therefore this thesis takes ideology as the major influencing factor of translator’s creative treason. Translator’s creative treason is manifested by conscious misreading and conscious mistranslation. Mistranslation arises from misreading. Unconscious misreading and mistranslation are the results of translator’s carelessness or language errors, while conscious misreading and mistranslation always bear some specific purposes of the translator. Therefore conscious misreading and mistranslation are worthy of special study in translator’s creative treason.Modern China opened its door in a special way. The Opium War shattered the dream of "celestial empire" of the Chinese nation and forced them to learn from the West. China first realized their shortage of advanced weapons and equipments, so they turned to the western countries for advanced skills. Then they found their deficiency in their political and cultural institution, and consequently the Wu Xu reformers advocated a constitutional monarchy and the elimination of the Imperial Examination. But the above two levels did not touched the essence of the western learning. It was Yan Fu who took on this responsibility.Yan Fu is an important enlightenment thinker as well as a great translator in modern China. TianYan Lun is one of his most successful translations. In the book, Yan Fu shows his appreciation of Spencer’s social-Darwinism, applying the law of biological evolution, survival of the fittest, to human society. But the source book Evolution and Ethics is a typical critique of social-Darwinism. This is Yan Fu’s creative treason at the level of thought. Besides, it is well known that TianYan Lun is not a word-by-word translation of the source text. Through his conscious mistranslation at the level of text, Yan Fu tried to stress his idea or to minimize the distance between the source text and his readers. Given Yan Fu’s profound knowledge about western culture and thought, and his serious attitude toward translation, his deviations belong to conscious misreading and conscious mistranslation. Yan Fu’s creative treason at the two levels resulted from his pre-understanding of evolution, social ideology and his horizon. His creative treason also reflects his subjectivity in translation.The Cultural Turn has turned the focus of translation studies to the target culture. Therefore the study of translator’s creative treason is in line with the general trend in the translation circle. The ultimate value of creative treason lies in "creative", arbitrary deviations only result in the endless interpretation of the source text, which is against the nature of translation. Translator’s creative treason helps the source text achieve a new life in a new culture. Therefore it is worthy of more attention and study.