The Influence Of The Translator's Subjectivity On The Target Text

The translator is the most dynamic factor in translation. His/her purpose, strategies, methods, and aesthetic taste greatly influence the formation of the target text. However, as the most important subject in translation, the translator has long been neglected in translation history. So far there have been few systematic theoretical studies on the translator's subjectivity, and most researches on the translator have only focused on his/her linguistic competence and translation skills. Scarce attention has been paid to how the translator, as a crucial human factor, influences the translation process with his/her translation theory and strategy. In view of all this, this thesis is a case study of these three Chinese translations of Emma, and my research has made an attempt to probe into the issue of how the translator is involved in the translation process and thus influences the target translation texts under different social and historical circumstances.This thesis first examines the marginalization of the translator in the traditional translation study, and then introduces the change of the translator's status in translation history and the studies of the translator's role since the "cultural turn" began in the 1970s. Secondly, it discusses the translator's subjectivity, which is manifested in the whole process of translation, from the aspects of the translator's ideology, cultural standpoint, purpose and aesthetic taste, etc., and some cultural and historical constraints. Thirdly, it explores the three translators' translation theories and strategies. Fourthly, it compares the three English translations of Emma, quoting specific examples which reflect the translators' differences in dealing with various problems in translationIn the light of the analysis, we can get the point that the differences between the translations mainly lie in the differences of their translators, whose translation strategies are greatly influenced and constrained by their internal factors and external factors. Literary translation criticism therefore should go beyond the linguistic aspects of translation and refrain from finding fault with the target text. More attention should be paid to the translator and the social, historical and cultural background in which he/she carries out his/her work.