On Liang Shiqiu's Style Of Translation From The Perspective Of Hermeneutics

According to traditional translation theories, although translators have contributed a great deal to the development and dissemination of human cultures, they still hold a marginal position; and translation has long been thought as less valuable than original literary creation. With the restriction of traditional translation theories and source language-oriented theories, the studies of style in translated works still mainly focus on the original style as well as style translation and little attention has been paid to translators' style or the fingerprints which translators themselves leave on the target text. However, based on a hermeneutic view of translation, translators serve not only as interpreters but also as meaning-providers whose translation products will be interpreted by target readers in a new chain of reception within a different cultural environment. Thus, translators are not the passive receptors of meaning but are more active and creative producers. Translations are not made in a vacuum. Authors and translators are set in certain historical conditions and conventions, which are bound to influence their understanding, writing and translating. Those historical conditions and conventions are what Heidegger named pre-understanding. Actually, pre-understanding is a crucial part of an interpreter, which submerges in the process of comprehension and its influences are destined to penetrate into the process of understanding. No one can enter a text without any previous pre-understanding structure which is, therefore, not an obstacle or limit to understanding, but rather, necessary conditions for the possibility of understanding.Translators' historical backgrounds and subjectivities will become traceable in the target text. Different translators, whose writing styles are the major parts of the pre-understanding structure, may start communicating with the source text from their own perceptions and end up in a diversity of versions. Accordingly, studies on the influences of writing style upon translating style will help us better understand the nature of translation. Generally speaking, Liang's style of translation is linked with his pre-understanding and his translation is imbued with his peculiar writing style, which corresponds with his creativity, subjectivity as well as individuality. When approaching the text, Liang is full of pre-understandings and the final interpretation will be influenced by his presuppositions. Therefore, to pursue a perfect translation without considering translators' pre-understanding is unpractical. Translators' writing style which is a crucial part of pre-understanding inevitably has influences on their style of translation.For that purpose, based on hermeneutics, especially on pre-understanding structure, the thesis demonstrates the inevitability and existence of translators' style and its relationship with their writing style. Comparing Liang Shiqiu's translation of The Merry Wives of Winsor with Zhu Shenghao's and Fang Ping's versions, the author empirically analyzes Liang's style of translation and the influence of his writing style on his style of translation, and this could help better understand that translators cannot be excluded from their pre-understanding structure in the dynamic process of interaction with the source text. Translators, being the doers who practically operate two languages, make their writing style perceivable by infiltrating their personal linguistic preferences between the lines and so on. Translators' writing style reflects their subjectivity, creativity and unique individual artistry. And the investigation of translators' writing style can contribute to better understanding translators' style and promoting translators' status and prosperity of translation cause.