A Critical Study Of The Translation,Reception And Interpretation Of Milan Kundera’s Works In China

The new historical period sees vital changes in the paths of translation,that is,an emerging interaction has taken place between inward("Foreign Language to Chinese")and outward("Chinese to Foreign Language")translation.The study of literary translation and introduction has been an important field in translation studies.This new time requires a profound reflection upon the translation and introduction of foreign literature in China in the past four decades,which can be undertaken through the case of Milan Kundera.The history of the translation,reception and interpretation of his works in China seems quite representative and thus deserves close scrutiny.Rather than centering on the translation of Kundera’s oeuvre,this dissertation breaks through the traditional research framework by concentrating on two primary directions:first,the translation,reception and hermeneutics of Milan Kundera’s works is placed within a complicated network where factors like history,culture,politics,and ideology are closely examined;second,the translation’s production and the literary texts’ life as intertwined are brought to the fore.The dissertation attempts to investigate the life of Kundera’s works by positioning the discovery,translation,reception,dissemination and interpretation of them in a process of interrelation,openness and development.In this sense,this study is both a theoretical exploration and a ground-breaking research attempt.The dissertation consists of five chapters in addition to Introduction and Conclusion.The Introduction elaborates on the importance of Kundera as the object of study from three major aspects:first,Kundera has unique writing experiences with pioneering contributions to novel creation;second,the extension and expansion of his literary life is closely related with translation.Arguably,Kundera would not have attained his classical status in literature and translation with worldwide influence without translation.To some extent,translation has made Kundera the way he is.Third,Kundera boasts a large readership and lasting influence in China.The reception and dissemination of his works are realized in varied ways with rich interpretation.In terms of the reception and interpretation,there remains a large space for exploration and investigation,which is of great research value.Assisted by translation theories,this dissertation probes into the integrated process of production,reception,interpretation of literary texts through the representative case of Kundera.It aims to demonstrate the dynamic process of his translation and reception in China and the complete picture of its development,reflecting how the writer has appealed to all kinds of readers and his works have been widely studied and interpreted.These will help systematically reveal the underlying reasons for Kundera’s translation into China,as well as his popularity and deep resonance with Chinese readers.The first chapter offers a brief introduction to the unique writing experiences of Kundera and his personal history,before reviewing the translation history of his works in China.Both the introduction and the review are closely revolved around the theme of the dissertation.Kundera’s writing has its uniqueness and his personal experience has a sense of historical "pain" which explains why his works have drawn extraordinary attention in the West.Due to ideology,his works suffered from misinterpretation,as was reflected in translation that highlighted the political aspects while weakening the literariness of his works.For example,there were deletions and changes in the early French translations and English translations that Kundera himself criticized as "lame." The review of Kundera translation in China reveals two climaxes,but how was Kundera discovered?Why did he get special attention from Chinese readers?Why did he enjoy a wide readership?What are the differences between the translation in different periods?The review not only brings these questions to the fore,but prompts us to reflect and resolve them.As a complicated cross-cultural activity,translation is subject to the influences of such factors as society,history,politics and culture,etc.Thus the study of the translation of Kundera in China has to take those factors into consideration,especially considering Kundera’s unique writing and personal experiences,which have to be referenced during translation.The second chapter starts from the Chinese translation of Kundera’s works and delves into the factors that have influenced the translation,such as political milieu,ideology and faithfulness considerations,etc.Some interesting findings are analyzed,for example,in translation activities there is a very common phenomenon,that is,"revisions" are made to the source text due to ideology,which exists both in the Chinese translation of foreign literature and in the English or French translation of Chinese literature.However,what merits further study is the fact that due to the differences in ideology,revisions to the source text are different in its French and Chinese translations for the same work of Kundera.For instance,Kundera’s criticism of totalitarianism was handled differently-highlighted in its French translation while cut out in its Chinese translation.Yet the study also submits that historical development and progress in thinking lead to changes in revision.This observation and study unmasks the complexity,historicity and developmental nature of literary translation activities.After examining the external factors affecting the translation of Kundera’s works,the third chapter focuses on the activities of the agents involved in the translation and reception of Kundera.It investigates the interactive space of these agents within the cultural field,paying particular attention to the interaction between the author,publishers,translators and readers in their joint impetus to the dissemination of Kundera’s literary creation.As regards the translation and interpretation of Kundera in China,these agents all played their significant roles,which is emphatically seen in Kundera’s reflection upon translation and his requirement on the choice of edition,the translators’ pursuits of translation quality,readers’ expectation,publishers’ careful selection of translator and requirements for translation quality.All of these factors generate new possibilities for the translation and reception of Kundera’s works in China.The dissertation shows that publishers play a crucial role in the whole process,from the introduction of the copyright,the choice of source text and translator,the requirements for the translation quality,the quality guarantee in editing,proofreading and design of the book,the book recommendation and promotion,to the organization of activities for interaction and communication.Little attention has been put on the role of publisher as one of the agents in the literary translation activities,which deserves closer and further study.To study the construction of the interactive space for the translation and dissemination of Kundera’s oeuvre,some media for such reception and dissemination must be taken into consideration,which constitutes the motif of Chapter Four.The chapter first offers an analytic review about the history of the reception and dissemination of Kundera’s works in China and its current situation from such three dimensions as academic platform,traditional media as well as online channel.These three different channels have their own distinctive characteristics and roles.Take the academic platform as an example,the dissemination has its base on universities as the institutional channel,which includes the arrangement of courses,textbooks,lectures and extensive reading lists about the writer as well as the selection of Kundera as research object for graduation theses.It is a dissemination platform that features organization,requirements,and lasting influence,which plays a significant role in academic research and inheritance,thus serving as the guarantee for the systematic and in-depth interpretation of Kundera in China.The study of traditional media primarily covers newspapers and magazines related to reading.The introduction,review,interpretation and criticism about Kundera in these media play a role in attracting and guiding readers which cannot be ignored.The network-based media have received little attention among the studies of the reception and dissemination of writers.Yet,the actual dissemination of Kundera in China renders it indispensable in study.The novelist’s popularity and lasting influence cannot be separated from the vigorous online dissemination.The wide space of dissemination created by online media,the richness and spontaneity in the exchange of interpretation and reflection among readers,and readers’ uniquely different understanding of Kundera,all contribute to injecting vitality into the new life of Kundera’s works in China.The most fundamental purpose of the circulation and dissemination of literary works is to draw readers’ attention,to read and enter a world where source text is open for interpretation.Literature attains a new life through reading,understanding and interpreting.The dissertation emphasizes that interpretation plays a unique role in literary works’ production and their life extension.The fifth chapter is devoted to the investigation of the hermeneutics of Kundera in China,exploring such issues as how Chinese readers comprehend Kundera,the features of Chinese readers’ interpretation of Kundera,the relation and continuity between the understanding and interpretation at different stages,as well as the focus in Chinese readers’ interpretation and the possibilities for new interpretations.The dissertation proposes that the interpretation of Kundera’s works in China boasts diversity in its subjects and variety in its form,and is closely related with the political environment and cultural milieu,demonstrating features of different stages.Such interpretation is vigorous,rich in content and covers a wide scope.By following the writer’s own theoretical pursuit and novel exploration,this dissertation attaches particular importance to the issues that draw most attention in Kundera’s interpretation in China.By probing into the exploration regarding Kundera’s novels in the past four decades,the writer’s cogitation on existence and the key words or code extracted from his writing about the existence of human beings,it points out problems regarding the hermeneutics of Kundera and new paths for future study as well.The Conclusion part concludes with a brief recapitulation of the path,the focus and the major findings in this dissertation,pointing out that by the examination of the translation,reception and interpretation of Kundera in China,the study is valuable in extending translation studies and serving as a reference in both its theoretical exploration and case study.Finally,some possibilities are proposed for the future study of the translation and introduction of Kundera’s works in China.