)the Translator's Visibility In Literary Translation

Literary works,especially literary classics,are carriers of a country's profound culture.How to translate and convey Chinese specific culture and expressions in literary classics,especially in ancient classics thus helping original Chinese culture go global has always been an important issue in the field of translation.Based on the translator's invisibility theory,Lawrence Venuti put forward the theory of the translator's visibility.It emphasizes the linguistic and cultural differences between countries,and stands for adopting resistant or foreignizing translation strategy and paratexts to make translators and heterogeneous languages and cultures visible so as to change the long prevailing “invisible” translators and the“transparent” text illusion due to domesticating domesticating practice,to retain the exotics of the original text and highlight the importance of the translator.By locating a translator's voice and discourse presence in the translation,it can be found that the translator can make the translations read as translations,as texts in their own right rather than the “original”,stressing a translator's role as a “mediator” rather than a“breaker” of the different languages and cultures.The study of the translator's visibility is not only the prerequisite to understanding the nature of translation,but also to proving the legitimacy and significance of the “visible” text.As one of the four great classical novels of China,Sanguo Yanyi contains rich Chinese wisdom,rich language connotations and culture with Chinese characteristics.The sinologist Moss Roberts' translation stands out and gains a worldwide fame for his clarification of abundant Chinese culture,which is world-renowned as a model ofprofessional and research-based translation.What's more,the translation strategies and methods adopted for the purpose of conveying the original Chinese culture,such as the foreignization strategy on the textual level and the use of paratexts on the paratextual level,are perfectly in line with many aspects of the translator's visibility.On the basis of discussing the theoretical origin,basic connotation,strategic methods and theoretical significance of the translator's visibility,this thesis probes into the“innovative” foreignization practice in text translation and the dual function of the paratexts in presenting and studying the translator's visibility.What's more,the translator's voice and subjectivity are taken into account to further clarify and define the visible translator.Finally,the author makes a descriptive case study of Roberts' Three Kingdoms from the perspective the translator's visibility to study its role in reflecting the cultural differences of the ST and to investigate how to apply it to translating Chinese classics.The findings of this thesis indicate that Roberts' translation of Three Kingdoms perfectly exemplifies the translator's visibility,thus a masterpiece in manifesting the connotations of unique Chinese culture.In highlighting the cultural difference as is contained in this novel,foreignization is a critical strategy on textual level,while the preface,notes and illustrations serve as an indispensable part of the English version on paratextual level to cater for different readership.These strategies not only enhance a translator's status and salience,but also remarkably increase the potential of this novel's popularity on a larger scale.In this sense,Roberts' translation can be a valuable reference for translating Chinese classics.