Translation Variation And The Translator's Subjectivity In Poetry Translation

The focus of translation studies was fixed on the objects of translation activities,namely,the original texts.However,during the period from the latter 1980 s to the former 1990 s,translation studies had embraced a series of changes due to the “Culture Turn” which featured in two shifts of basic focuses in translation studies.Firstly,the focus of the fundamental problem in translation studies shifted from the original texts to the translation works,especially translators,the subjects of translation activities.Secondly,the focus of the situation of translation studies(situation traductive)was shifted from the source-language context to the target-language context.Hence,the subject of translation and its subjectivity have become significant issues in translation studies.In the studies and research on the translator's subjectivity,nevertheless,the traditional translation theories pose a negative and counteractive influence.For example,“faithfulness”,which works on the form or the meaning of the translation,is central to the traditional three basic norms in translation.In accordance with the norm,the subjects of translation activities,namely the translators,should not leave any trace of their translation acts,which is considered negative and incorrect,in the translation works.In terms of the retranslation of various types of translation works,particularly in the field of literary translation,however,the traces of translators' creation are inevitable.The so-called “transparent” or “zero” translation does not exist.Moreover,the Translation Variation theory provides the rationale of translator's subjectivity with theoretical foundation and practical strategies.The Translation Variation theory not only affirms the rationality of complete translation which upholds the norm of faithfulness,but also admits the existence of translation variation which is based on a synthesized criterion with regard to translators,target readers and target-language contexts,etc.It contextualizes the concept of “creative treason” and offers multiple guiding rules and judging criteria to translation practices.The study explores the relationship between the translator's subjectivity and translation variation as well as the reflection and application of the two concepts in poetry translation through a comparative study on the two Chinese versions of Stray Birds translated by Zheng and Feng respectively.The author has drawn on the two concepts extensively and relates them to creative treason and the “Culture Turn” in translation studies for the arguments over the rationality of the existence of the translator's subjectivity as well as the equal importance of translation variation and complete translation.Through the comparative study,some useful methods for poetry translation have been identified from the twelve translation variation methods proposed by Prof.Huang,such as translation plus rewriting and translation plus imitation.