Recasting Fidelity In Postcolonial Context

In the last two decades, a major advancement in Translation Studies is the expansion of perspectives. Theories from other disciplines have been introduced into the study of translation. With this momentous development, Translation Studies has freed itself from the bondage of traditional linguistics, and has risen to become a comprehensive study of translated texts in the bigger context of society and culture.However, along with the introduction of these theories also came the controversy over the criterion of fidelity. These theories such as New Criticism and Deconstruction seem to provide a theoretical ground for some scholars to claim that the traditional translation criterion of fidelity, which seems to be practically impossible, should be discredited, while some still advocate that fidelity, which has played a central role in the studies and practice of translation, should remain as one essential criterion of translation.The author believes that it is vital to clarify what fidelity refers to before a satisfying answer should be given to this question. The expansion of theoretical horizons in translation studies brings into scholars' consideration the factors outside the text. And it is realized that translation can never be free from manipulative powers outside the text. However the concept of a faithful translation is still deemed linguistically as the faithful representation of the original text and thus limits the guiding value of fidelity in translation practice. Therefore it is urgent to have a close examination of fidelity before a conclusion should be drawn as whether fidelity should be abandoned. This thesis attempts to probe into this issue from the postcolonial perspective, combining the endeavors taken by the research on cross cultural communications and translation history both in China and the West. On one hand, the author attempts to identify the manipulative powers which make fidelity untenable in practice and thus points out the necessity of establishing a new interpretation of fidelity. On the other hand, by studying the translation history especially representative cases, the author tries to clarify the misconceptions about fidelity and aims to suggest a new interpretation of fidelity which is more dynamic and can provide more guidance to the translation practice in postcolonial context.The author points out that in postcolonial context, foreignness is vital for establishing and maintaining balanced relationships between cultures. And fidelity can, to most extent, guarantee the introduction of foreignness into the target culture. In this sense, fidelity should never be discredited. Nevertheless, fidelity does not mean absolute equivalence of words, instead, it primarily requires responsible attitude on the part of translators. And the degree of fidelity should be in accordance with the stage of culture communication.