The Freedom And Right Of The Translator

Translators are subjects of translation. They play a key role in the process of translation. However, translators were either ignored or undervalued in the long history of translation practices and studies. They are subject to the source text as well as the author. With the development of translation studies, more and more attention is paid to the translator. In 1970s, hermeneutics was introduced into the translation study. Hermeneutics is known as the study of understanding and interpretation. When it is applied to translation studies, it stresses on the active roles that the translator plays in the process of translation. So, many scholars make use of it to study the subjectivity of the translator.This thesis consists of the five chapters. In the first chapter, a brief introduction to the research background, research questions, research purpose and significance is made.The second chapter is the part of literature review. A systematic introduction to hermeneutics is made. Though hermeneutics is not designed for translation studies, they are closely related to each other, In 1970s, George Steiner put forward the notion of "hermeneutic motion", which consists of four steps, namely, trust, aggression, incorporation and compensation. The hermeneutic motion proves the subjectivity of the translator again.The third chapter is a case study. Through the comparison and analysis of the four English versions of Tao Te Ching, the different interpretation made by different translators is examined carefully from the level of word, sentence and style. All these differences manifest the translator's manipulation and influence on the translation.However, the freedom and right enjoyed by the translator are not absolute. Instead, they are limited by various objective factors. Therefore, in chapter four, the restrictions on the translator are emphasized to prevent the translator from abusing his freedom and right.The last chapter is a brief conclusion of the whole thesis. As a subject of translation, the translator certainly enjoys freedom and rights. But they are not absolute. As a matter of fact, they are restricted by various objective factors. Therefore, people argue over translation constantly. When doing translation, the translator should make full use of his freedom and right, meanwhile, he should pay attention to the restrictions. Only in this way, can the translator do translation actively as well as objectively.