A Report On Translation Of Translation In The Age Of Postmodern Production:From Text To Intertext To Hypertext

This report is based on the translation of “Translation in the Age of Postmodern Production: From Text to Intertext to Hypertext” written by Karin Littau.The text is an academic paper,published on the Forum for Modern Language Studies in 1997.It discusses the role and status of translators with regard to the translated text as intertext from a postmodern perspective.The text also analyzes the relationship between the original and the translation by introducing Derrida's philosophical thought,with the idea that it is necessary to examine the original and turn to the analysis of the authorship.Under the influence of Foucault's thought,Godard and Venuti attempt to promote the visibility of the translator and to create a new kind of subjectivity for translation.Also the text points out that Derrida thinks a text is no longer a finished product of writing,with meaning enclosed in a book or within its margin;rather,the text refers endlessly to something other than itself.At the same time,Derrida pushes language to the limit of translatability,re-marking the border line between translatability and untranslatability.It is concluded that translation in the age of postmodern production must be understood doubly.On one hand,postmodern theory emphasizes the text's productivity;on the other hand,this productivity materializes within the frame of its own means of production.This report is divided into five parts.Part one is the translation project description,including the project background,purpose,and significance.Part two is the preparation of materials,tools,and theories for the analysis of the translation.Part three,the central part of the report,is about the difficulties in translation and the ways to tackle them.The difficulties lie in the comprehension of long and complex sentences due to a lack of relavent background information and knowledge.Moreover,it discusses how the author of the report uses reference materials to understand the original text and solve the difficulties.Besides,other methods are also adopted in the translation of the source text.Chapter four mainly deals the typical examples of sentences translation as well as the translation methods adopted.In the original text,there are many technical terms,quotations,names and long,complex sentences.They are very difficult to handle,especially the understanding of long and complex sentences.This chapter chiefly discusses sentence translation and word translation,with examples analyzed in the light of translation methods,including division,addition,conversion,etc.Part Five is a summary of this report,including the implications,lessons and unsolved problems in the translation project.