Analyzing Translation From The Perspective Of Interlanguage

As an important theory in the second language acquisition, interlanguage (IL) theory has been widely employed in language teaching by English teachers. Nevertheless, interpreting translation from the perspective of interlanguage is an opening stage.The interlanguage theory, which was first mentioned by British linguist Selinker in 1969 and was academically formulated in 1972, deals with the nature of second language learners' language systems. Interlanguage refers to a unique language system formed in language learning, with its own grammar, its own lexical system and so on. It bears the features of both the mother tongue and the target language. Furthermore, it has three characteristics: permeable, dynamic and systematic. It is a complete language system.According to relationships between interlanguage and the theories of "schema", "pre-understanding" and "language transfer", the term "interlanguage" in second language acquisition is transplanted into translation theory, which is used to study the cultural negative transfer of interlanguage in translation. In translation field, the translator as a language learner at first has also experienced the first stage of language learning, which inevitably results in translator's interlanguage. Every translator has his own unique interlanguage. With the existence of interlanguage, translators will easily transfer their own native cultural models to the target culture when translating the culture-specific elements. This kind of "cultural negative transfer" will result in misinterpreting.This thesis attempts to make an analysis of the definition, classifications of interlanguage as well as its influence on translator and translation at different levels by analyzing Prof. Lin Yutang's translation practice.On one hand, Lin Yutang, was among several outstanding literary figures in China, who could write and translate skillfully both English and Chinese, devoted his whole life to the cultural exchange between the East and the West. His couplet: 'setting feet on the Oriental and Occidental cultures, to whole-heartedly review the articles in the universe' (Lin Taiyi, 1994), was his cultural attitude - to introduce Chinese culture to the world. His familiarity with Chinese culture and Western culture and his mastery of both Chinese and English enabled him to attain great achievements in translation.On the other hand, as a complex figure in Chinese literature, Lin Yutang has formed his unique interlanguage in his language learning, in which English and Western culture enjoyed a dominant part. Besides, Lin Yutang was a marginal scholar dissociating himself from the traditional Chinese cultural system. He was unlikely to have the subject cultural consciousness of Lu Xun to the traditional Chinese culture, to the great extent, simply played the part of being gazed "other", though it had special charm. Because he had Europeanized traditional Chinese culture, hence the traits of hybrid and homogeneous, marginal and central, authoritative and heretical, occur in his Westernized interlanguage. This special language system often allows him to translate Chinese classics with a Westerner's view, this brings some cultural negative transfers to his translation practice.Among his translation works, his translation of Shen Fu's Fu Shen Liu Ji is regarded as one of his classic translations, for it is a thorough reflection of Lin's life philosophy, cultural attitude, aesthetic taste, and a sound exhibition of his outstanding translation art, and practice of his translation theory.This thesis employs Lin Yutang's English translation Six Chapters of a Floating Life as a case study to probe into some misinterpretations appearing in his translation. The cultural transfer of his interlanguage to his translation is discussed in the thesis so as to provide some enlightenment for the future study on the interaction of translation and translator's interlanguage.