A Study On C-E Translation Of The Report On The Work Of Government From The Perspective Of Manipulation Theory

With the increase of its national comprehensive power, China now plays a more and more significant and indispensable role in the world which makes it reasonable that an increasing number of people all over the world want to know all aspects of China. They want to know China’s people, policies, plans, culture and language urgently. The English version of Report on the Work of Government issued annually has become an important window from which people all over the world can gain a more accurate and thorough knowledge of China.With China taking a more active part in world affairs, the translation of the Report on the Work of Government should be undoubtedly paid more attention for its significant functions.On one hand, it introduces China’s policies and guidelines to the world. On the other hand, it is used to disseminate China’s language, culture, values and so on to help China gain a positive image in the world and create a favorable atmosphere for China’s development.Many scholars have applied some translation theories to study the C-E translation of RWG(Report on the Work of Government). However, most research is carried out on one-year Report on the Work of Government by employing mainly the qualitative research method.Besides, their study is limited to linguistic code-switching level. Efforts made to focus on the extra-textual factors which play a decisive role in translation principles, strategies and features are far from enough and satisfactory.Translation must be regarded as a political and cultural activity rather than merely linguistic code-switching. More importantly, translation not only involves finding equivalents in another language but also factors beyond the language, such as culture, ideology, power and politics. There is no doubt that translation is a complicated activity. Manipulation Theory which studies translation activity from its cultural context offers a possible explanation for translation problems. This thesis attempts to study the C-E translation of RWG from 2000 to2013 under the perspective of Manipulation Theory put forward by Andre Lefevere.According to this theory, the three essential factors control the production of translation are,namely, patronage, poetics and ideology. This thesis studies translation phenomena and features under the influence of these three factors and thus systematically analyzing the radical and deeper reasons behind the translation problems.The thesis is composed of six chapters. Chapter one focuses on research problems,purposes, significance, research methods as well as presenting thesis structure. Chapter two is a thorough overview of the previous researches on C-E translation of RWG from two stages and two levels. By pointing out the problems and limitations of these researches, the thesis reveals the necessity and rationality of applying Manipulation Theory into the study. Chapter three studies the effects of patronage on C-E translation of RWG. Chapter four introduces the influences of ideology on C-E translation of RWG from political, economic, social,philosophical, aesthetic factors and Chinese values. Chapter five pays attention to the effects of poetics on C-E translation of RWG from the genre, theme and role of RWG. Chapter six is the conclusive part in which research findings are presented, research significance is restated and limitations are discussed. The conclusions of this research will contribute to definite translation purpose, establish translation criteria and adopt proper translation strategies.Furthermore, they are available to deepen the research with respect to ideology and China English.