A Study Of Translation By Eileen Chang-From An Intertextuality Perspective

Translation is a process during which not only language and techniques are involved, but also the translator's thinking, ideology and cognitive structure play a role. The present research aims to study translation by Eileen Chang from the intertextuality perspective, through which the interaction between translation and literary writing, the multiplicity of her role as both writer and translator, and the intermediary between languages and cultures, will be probed.The term "intertextuality" was put forward by the French semiologist and feminist critic- Julia Kristeva. After continuous development and improvement, it has been applied to many domains of academia, such as aesthetics, psychology, philosophy, translation studies, etc. Studies conducted from an intertextuality perspective target research objects on the general rules and the interaction of literature, culture, and thought, instead of the originally narrow horizons of simply studying individual factors like letters, words, or expressions.Commencing with the description and comparison of the key notions of intertextuality, the thesis expounds why intertextuality should be applied to translation. Discussion about intertextuality of textual meaning and cultural image, as well as the diachronic characteristic of intertextuality follows to further clarify the idea mentioned above. Translation context and translation criticism in the light of intertextuality are also illustrated to elaborate how intertextuality and translation can be combined. Besides, "intertextuality" reminds us easily of the term "intersubjectivity", which refers to the relationship between the various subjects involved in translation. In the view of intertextuality, the translating subjects are regarded as "text in its broad sense". All of them are involved in the interactive and cross-referencing activity of intertextuality. Thus it is also an indispensable aspect of translation studies from intertextuality perspective.Eileen Chang (Zhang Ailing in pinyin) was one of the best known female writers in the history of Chinese literature. However, it is rarely known that she was also an outstanding translator. Owing to her experiences of frustrations and complications, and her dual identity as writer and translator, the translation by Eileen Chang embraces complicated references of intertextuality. Born and brought up in the Chinese culture, Eileen Chang spent the latter half of her life overseas. She herself was an embodiment of the conflict and harmonization between cultures of the East and the West. The creative traces of writing can be found in her translation works, as the taste and style of her translation can be appreciated in her writings. Intermediary between the subjects as translator, reader, and author in her translation, with her self-translation as specimens, is verified as well.As a link between these multiple factors, the theory of intertextuality runs through the aspects of Chang's translation as explored in the thesis. By an open, multiple, and diversified way of thinking, the translation by Eileen Chang is described and analyzed both in the macro- and in a micro-level. As a pilot study of intertextuality as applied to translation and translation studies, the author hopes that it will be found inspiring as a new perspective offered to the study of translations by other authors as well as by Eileen Chang.