On S.I.Hsiung's Self-Translation Of The Bridge Of Heaven-a Perspective Of Translation Ethics

Self-translation is a unique phenomenon,between translating and writing,or half translating with half writing.Foreign scholars have made comparatively deep study of self-translation,but domestic scholars have paid far less attention to self-translation,let alone ethical issues in it.S.I.Hsiung was a bilingual writer in the early days of the 20~thh century,who shared the great name as Lin Yutang and caused a great sensation in the English world at that time.However,compared with the great reputation overseas,Hsiung attracts far less attention in domestic academia.Moreover,the domestic academic circle mainly focuses on Hsiung's dramas but ignores his novels and translation works at present.As one of his masterpieces,The Bridge of Heaven represents the second peak of Hsiung's literary creation and has a very high literary value.In addition,the Chinese version of The Bridge of Heaven is also a self-translated work by Hsiung based on his English novel.Nevertheless,the domestic translation circle has not given due attention to the self-translation of The Bridge of Heaven,and almost no scholars have discussed it thoroughly from the perspective of translation ethics.Based on the research results of previous scholars,a Finnish scholar Andrew Chesterman concluded four major models of translation ethics,i.e.,ethics of representation,ethics of service,ethics of communication and norm-based ethics.These four models are all built around the translator,but each model has its own focus.On the bases of this comparatively comprehensive theory,this thesis attempts to find out the differences between the Chinese and English versions of The Bridge of Heaven by close reading and comparative analysis and then analyze the self-translation from the perspective of translation ethics,thus probing into the special ethical model in the self-translation of The Bridge of Heaven.Through a careful comparison,this thesis finds that there exist many differences between the two versions,which are mainly reflected in the addition,deletion,rewriting of the original information and the self-translator's recreation by fully exerting his subjectivity,but all these differences can be explained from the perspective of translation ethics.Based on the research,this thesis concludes that self-translation as a special translation phenomenon also involves various interpersonal relationships in translation,so the self-translator will inevitably be influenced by translation ethics.However,the self-translator will deviate from the traditional ethics of representation and tend to be affected by ethics of service and ethics of communication,giving play to subjective initiative more fully so as to make the self-translation understandable for target readers as well as achieve the self-translator's communicative purpose.Compared with previous researches,this thesis is significant in that it explores the ethical mode followed by self-translated works from the perspective of Chesterman's theory of ethical modes,which can enrich the academic circle on self-translation phenomena and S.I.Hsiung's works.It also helps people better understand the guiding significance and explanatory power of translation ethics for literary translation.