An Exploration Into Derrida's Deconstructive Translation Theory

In Contemporary Translation Theories written by Edwin Gentzler, he points out that:"All of Derrida's writing, regardless of the'subject matter'or text in question, continually revolves around the problems pertaining to the possibility or impossibility of translation. According to Derrida, all of philosophy is centrally concerned with the notion of translation:'the notion of philosophy is translation or the thesis of translatability'". (Derrida, 1985b, p. 120; cited in Gentzler, 2006, p. 146 ) Derrida probes into the essential problem of philosophy from translation problem. The subject of translation theory has traditionally involved some concept of determinable meaning that can be transferred to another system of signification. While Derrida believes that posed translation solutions, a named item, a fixed identity, or an inscribed sentence has subtle differing supplementary meaning and tangential notions lost in the process of transcription. So, with the focus of philosophical investigation redirected from identity to difference, from presence to supplement, from text to preface, translation assumes a central rather than secondary place(Gentzler, 2006, p.147 ). The core of translation is meaning problem, and certainty and uncertainty of meaning, cannoning about translatability and untranslatability, is the essential questions of philosophy. So, meaning, translation and philosophical essential questions are closely connected. However, the key of the relationship is meaning problem.The exploration of meaning problem penetrates to the core of philosophy: arche. Since Plato, traditional Western culture has been adoring arche-centrism. Derrida's Deconstructionism theory is formed by questioning arche. Arche-centrism only emphasizes goodness and puts it in the center of a structure, while the un-goodness, taken as the subordinate of goodness, is covered up. The aim of Deconstructionism is to disclose the covered parts. Deconstructionism deems that meaning is in endless différance and dissemination; meaning is openness and uncertainty. So, Derrida believes that meaning is différance at the original and constantly moving without an beginning and ending, which lead to the untranslatability of translation in nature. However, Deconstructionism emphasizes the negative parts which is covered up in traditional arche, while it shields the positive parts which was emphasized by arche. So, the concept of Deconstructionism is possibly even narrow-minded than that of traditional metaphysics. Meanwhile, one of Derrida's important concepts"there is nothing outside text (il n'y a pas de texte)", which develops as"there is nothing outside context (Il n'y a pas de hors-texte)", demonstrates that the meaning of a linguistic sign is not embodied in the sign itself, but in the relationship of differences between the sign and the other. That is to say, the focus of translation studies should not be on the linguistic meaning of the text but on the others that constitute the relationship of differences within the text. Furthermore, the concept embodies that everything can be taken as visible or invisible text or context. So when an author does some writing, he is not creating something but imitating, copying and rewriting on the basis of visible or invisible texts or contexts. Thus,traditional concept of initial or original works does not exist at all. Derrida denies that sign, text and even everything have fixed meaning, and advocates untranslatability of translation which is the use of différance to oppose Arche in practice. The uncertainty makes everything in confusion and fuzzy, which is not good for translation practice.Through tracing the source of meaning problem and unscrambling the theory bases of Deconstructionism: Husserl's phenomenology, Mation Heidegger's existentialism and Saussure's meaning theory, the thesis analyses Derrida's Deconstructionism to its core. Main concepts of Deconstructionism theory: différance, dissemination, trace and supplement are the result of resurveying the problem of arche, which tries to illustrate the uncertainty of meaning and untranslatability in nature. In order to understand Derrida, the thesis will mainly analyze his thought through two of his main translation theses:Des Tours de Babel and What is a"Relevant"Translation? to analyze the problem. By analyzing What is a"Relevant"Translation?, the thesis found that Derrida himself lingers between translatability and untranslatability; by the case study of Babel, mainly in Des Tours de Babel, the thesis deems that meaning is certain and meaning is uncertain on the base of people's understanding and interpretation. The deconstructed Babel symbolizes the confusion and difference of human languages. But difference is superficial. People with different languages can communicate with each other by the help of universal kernel of languages. Though difference puts obstacles in the process of translation, but it can not be the excuse of untranslatability. Untranslatability can be solved by the help of language kernel and untranslatability can transform into translatability.Deconstructionism, which emphasizes difference and ambiguity, is not cure-all solution. It overthrows rationality and logic, and indulging individual are most likely to cause chaos and confusion.