A Study On Translator’s Subjectivity In The English Version Of Frog From The Perspective Of Reception Aesthetics

Literature is an important carrier of culture.The influence of a country’s literary works reflects the influence and the world’s recognition of its culture.At present,the international influence of Chinese literature does not match China’s international status.With the continuous improvement of China’s international status,China is in an urgent need of introducing more excellent literary works to the world,so that the world can better understand Chinese society and Chinese culture.In this process,the translator plays a pivotal role and the embodiment and exertion of the translator’s subjectivity in literary translation is a task worthy of consideration and research.Mo Yan is the first Chinese writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.Goldblatt,a famous Sinologist,plays an important role in introducing Mo Yan’s works to the western world.Frog is the eleventh novel that Mo Yan devoted four years to create,which has a high artistic level.This thesis selects this work and analyzes Goldblatt’s English translation.From the perspective of reception aesthetics,the author summarizes the embodiment and application of Goldblatt’s subjectivity as a translator.The thesis includes six parts.The first chapter is the introduction,which introduces the research background,significance and framework of the thesis.The second chapter is a literature review,and summarizes the previous studies on the translator’s subjectivity and the English version of Frog.The third chapter analyzes the representative figures and key notions of reception aesthetics theory,discussing their guidance toward literary translation.Chapter four explores the embodiment and application of the translator’s subjectivity based on the identity of the translator who serves as a receptor of literary work.Chapter five starts with the translator’s identity as a creator,and selects typical cases in the translation from the perspectives of language and culture,classifying and analyzing their translation,in order to explore the applications and effects of the translator’s subjectivity.Chapter six is the conclusion of the thesis.After analyzing the examples of the texts,the author believes that in the process of translation,the translator’s subjectivity can be divided into two periods.In the first period,when the translator serves as the receptor of the original text,his or her subjectivity reflects as the subjectivity of choosing the text to translate and the interpretation of the original text.In this period,the translator will be influenced by different factors such as his or her own horizon of expectation,which can both promote and hinder the output of good translation.Therefore,the translator needs to be aware of these factors to take advantages of them.In the second period,the identity of the translator is transformed into the creator,and the subjectivity is mainly manifested in the independent choice of translation strategies and the initiative to fill or omit the contents,language,emotion,culture elements and other information of the original work.From the perspecti’ve of reception aesthetics,this thesis analyzes whether Goldblatt’s English translation is in line with the expectation of the target audience,analyzes the translator’s filling or omission of the "blanks" in the original text,and evaluates its effect.Finally,it summarizes the guiding role of reception aesthetics theory on the translator’s subjectivity and its limitations.Hopefully,it can provide some references for the translators who engage in translating Chinese literature in the future.