Creative Treason In Two Chinese Versions Of Sister Carrie From The Perspective Of The Translator's Subjectivity

This thesis is a comparative study of creative treason between two Chinese versions of Sister Carrie from the perspective of the translator's subjectivity aiming to explain creative treason in literary translation under the guidance of the translator's subjectivity.Translation is an entity of contradictions.It is an imitation but also a recreation;it is about language but also about culture.Since the 1970s' cultural turn in the western translation history,studies of subjective factors in translating process have been promoted.Scholars began to recognize the subjectivity and creativity of a translator.Gradually,translation has been held as a recreation,in which creation and treason are inevitable.In this case,the concept of “creative treason” was first put forward by Robert Escarpit in his argument that “translation is always a kind of creative treason which not only prolongs the life of source text but also gives it a second life in target language and target culture.”Despite the representation of the essential meaning,literary translation also pursues the equivalence of linguistic forms of the source text as much as possible.However,absolute faithfulness is impossible.Faithfulness coexists with creative treason in the translating process.Furthermore,creative treason in literary translation has deep motivations behind it.As the subject of translation activity,a translator is also the agent of creative treason.Therefore,a translator's creative treason is closely related to his subjectivity.This thesis attempts to explore creative treason in two Chinese versions of Sister Carrie from the angle of the translator's subjectivity.By comparing and analyzing creative treason in two Chinese versions at linguistic level and cultural level respectively,the study finds that creative treason in each version differs from the other,and these differences of creative treason reflect each translator's distinctive subjectivity which includes the translator's translation purpose,ideological manipulation,cultural stance,and creative competence.Specifically,the two translators give full play to their subjectivity in choosing different translation strategies and methods to realize creative treason in their own version.All in all,creative treason is a manifestation of the translator's subjectivity,and the translator's subjectivity will influence his decision making of creative treason.