A Study On Nienhauser's Identities In Translating Shih Chi From The Perspective Of Translator Behavior Criticism

The sinologist translators play an important role in the process of translating Chinese classics.William H.Nienhauser,Jr.(1943?)is one of the famous sinologists in America.He is mainly dedicated to the research of Chinese literature and the translation of Chinese classics,which is significance of disseminating Chinese culture.The project of producing a full translation of Shih chi,led by Nienhauser,especially gained much attention from domestic and overseas scholars.It has been widely praised due to its strong academic nature.With the cultural turn in translation studies,studies on translators have been the crucial point.The translator's identities have a significant influence on text selection,translation strategies and styles.Nienhauser is not only a sinologist translator,but also a teacher of Chinese classics.His rich academic achievements,rigorous teaching activities and translation behavior complement each other.From the perspective of Zhou Lingshun's translator behavior criticism,this thesis combines intra-translation and extra-translation to analyze Nienhauser's different identities so as to find out their characteristics and influence on Shih chi's translation.This study mainly takes method of literature collation,meanwhile,Nienhauser's translation is compared with Yang Xianyi's translation under the guidance of Truth-seeking-Utility-attaining evaluative model of continuum.Specifically,this research is conducted from two perspectives.Firstly,as a linguistic being from the intra-translation perspective,how Nienhauser achieves the goal of truth-seeking in Shih chi.Secondly,as a social being from the extra-translation perspective,how Nienhauser attains the utility of translation for society.It is found that as a linguistic being,Nienhauser's identities can be specified into reader and translator of Shih chi.The education background has provided a basis for his understanding of the potential meaning of the source text.Nienhauser's translation has tried to reproduce the meaning and style of Shih chi by adopting transliteration and literal translation.As a social being,Nienhauser's identities can be specified into researcher of Shih chi and teacher of Chinese classics.His studies on Shih chiprovided a basis for the utility-attaining of the translation.Nienhauser's translation provided abundant sinological information for the professional readers by adopting addition and annotation.Nienhauser has also attained the utility of the translation in his teaching activities by setting up courses of Shih chi and translation workshops that in return promoted the dissemination of his translation.All of the above presented Nienhauser's effort to balance truth-seeking and utility-attaining.Nienhauser's model of “studying+teaching+translating” has far-reaching significance in promoting the dissemination and development of Chinese classics in the western world.