A Study Of The Translator’s Subjectivity From The Perspective Of Rewriting Theory

As an important bridge for cross-cultural communication,the primary goal of translation is to convey the information of the source language.The translator,as the subject of translation and mediation,exerts subjective initiative in translation activities to make the translation acceptable to the society of the translated language.One of the main reasons why Evan King’s translation of Luotuo Xiangzi was widely accepted by readers of the target language was that it gave full play to the translator’s subjective initiative in the translation process.The “creative rebellion” shown by the translator has been the focus of controversy.However,most previous studies have focused on the comparative analysis of different translations,but have failed to explore in depth the reasons for the translator’s subjectivity.Using Lefevere’s rewriting theory as the theoretical framework,this study builds a bilingual parallel corpus using Lao She’s Luotuo Xiangzi and Evan King’s English translation Rickshaw Boy as the corpus to analyze the translator’s subjectivity.Utilizing the three factors of rewriting theory as a starting point,the author explores the reasons for the translator’s subjectivity and then points out the influence of subjectivity on literary translation.The specific research questions are as follows.1.What are the phenomena of translator’s subjectivity in Evan King’s English translation of Lao She’s Luotuo Xiangzi?2.How does the translator play a subjective role in the text selection and translation process within the framework of the three factors of rewriting theory?3.What is the impact and significance of the translator’s subjectivity on the literary effect and translation studies of Lao She’s Luotuo Xiangzi?This study adopts a combination of quantitative statistics and qualitative analysis.Firstly,analyze the embodiment of the translator’s subjectivity in terms of linguistic,discourse and translation style through a self-constructed corpus.Secondly,the manipulation of subjectivity by internal and external factors is revealed from the perspective of rewriting theory.Finally,the impact of subjectivity is considered,exploring how the translator’s exertion of subjectivity by changing the plots and ending of the original text affects the literary value of the original text and sheds light on the translation of contemporary Chinese literary works.The findings of this thesis are as follows.The translator’s subjectivity of Evan King is reflected in the levels of linguistics,discourse and translation style.The patrons of the translator are the U.S.government,publisher,and various media.After World War II,when the United States and the Soviet Union were fighting for hegemony,the United States tried its best to draw China in,and the government policy was to vigorously promote Chinese culture.The propaganda from media is responding to government polices to some extent.Under the influence of the publisher,the translator’s subjectivity is reflected in the selection of the translated text and the deletion of the plot.The dominant poetics in the United States was left-wing literature in the 1930 s,and the novel thematically conformed to the dominant poetics as well as the prevalent trend of the sexual liberation movement;the translator’s subjectivity was represented by the increase in the depiction of the plot of sexual acts.In addition,because of World War II,the mainstream poetic view at this time required literature to play an entertaining and soothing role.The translator follows the mainstream poetic view,at which point the translator’s subjectivity is reflected at the level of translation style.Under the influence of individual poetics,the translator’s subjectivity is embodied in the choice of translation methods.Most of the translations are done by literal translation and amplification to show the traditional Chinese culture to the target language readers to the greatest extent.The dominant social consciousness in 1930 s America was to adhere to the American Dream.The translator’s subjectivity is demonstrated by the alteration of characters and the rewriting of the ending.Rewritings are intended to convey a positive message to Western readers,namely,that no matter what trials and tribulations one encounters,through hard work and struggle,one will eventually realize the American Dream one has been chasing all one’s life.Under this influence,the translator’s subjectivity is shown in the alteration of characters and the rewriting of the ending.Influenced by the translator’s individual ideology,subjectivity is manifested in the propagation of his political ideas and the translation of names and title.The translator’s subjectivity contributes to the spread of Chinese culture but his rewriting of the ending affects the literary depth of the work and is not conducive to reflecting social reality.