A Comparative Study On Translator’s Subjectivity In The Two English Versions Of The Analects

The translator is the most active element in the whole process of translation. In the traditional translation theory, nevertheless, the translator was usually placed in a marginalized position, and the subjective part has been neglected for a long time in the study of translation. The "Culture Turn" started in1970s has broadened the horizon of translation study, and the research of the translator’s subjectivity has drawn more and more attention in the western translation field. At the same time, some new translation theories have emerged one after another, like Skopos Theory, Feminism Theory,"Manipulation School" Theory and so on. They have not only been conscious of the translator’s creative status but also stressed the display of the translator’s subjectivity, and supply theoretical base for the study of the translator’s subjectivity. The translator’s subjectivity refers to the subjective initiative to accomplish the translation purpose which the subject of translation, namely, the translator, displays in the translation process on the premise of respecting the source text. Its basic features include the translator’s conscious cultural awareness, the humanistic characteristics, cultural and aesthetic creativity of the translation subject. The translator’s subjectivity exists in the whole process of translating activity. It is not only manifested in understanding and illumination of the source text, and artistic recreation on linguistic level, but also in the choice of the source text, translation purposes, translation strategies and so on. As the translation subject, the translator must exert his subjectivity fully and leave its trace in the translated text.The Analects is an important Confucian classic, recording the teachings of Confucius and a precious heritage in ancient Chinese culture. Dozens of English versions have appeared since its translation to the west in the late16th century. The English translations of The Analects have increased rapidly, but the study about them lags behind both at home and abroad. What’s more, it is even rare to find the studies on the translator’s subjectivity manifested in the English translations of The Analects. Due to the profound thoughts, rich literary value and cultural information of the original, different translators have different interpretations of the text and adopt different translation strategies, thus demonstrate great subjectivities. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the English translations of The Analects from the perspective of the translator’s subjectivity.The present thesis is divided into five chapters.In Chapter1, the author briefly talks about the origin of the study, the objective of the study and the organization of this thesis.In Chapter2, the author mainly reviews the studies of the translator’s subjectivity and the English translations of The Analects both at home and abroad.In Chapter3, emphasis is laid on the study of the translation of The Analects. It first reviews the translation of The Analects, and then gives a detailed discussion of the two English versions by James Legge and Ku Hungming and their different features are also introduced.Chapter4is the study of the manifestation of the translator’s subjectivity in two selected versions from two stages:the preparation for translation and the process of translation.In the preparation for translation, the translator’s subjectivity is mainly manifested in the two translators’ different motivations of translation and different interpretations of the source text; In the process of translation, the translator’s subjectivity is mainly manifested in the two translators’different guiding translation strategies and different reader awareness.In this chapter, a case study is also made to illustrate the differences between the two English versions on two levels:linguistic level and cultural level. It is proved that the translator’s subjectivity is manifested in the English translation of The Analects.In the final chapter the conclusion is given, in which the author concludes that the diversity of the English versions of The Analects lies to a great extent in the objective existence of the translator’s subjectivity and its influence on them. Therefore, the translator’s subjectivity plays an important role in translation.The significance of this thesis lies in:1) The study on the English translations of The Analects from the perspective of the translator’s subjectivity opens up a new angle to the translation study of Chinese classics;2) The study has proven to a certain extent that it is feasible to explain the diversity of versions of The Analects from the perspective of the translator’s subjectivity.3) The study enriches the connotations of the translators’ study and compensates the deficiency of the present study.In terms of methodology, the author adopts descriptive approach in order to describe objectively the important role that the translator plays in the translation process. In analyzing the manifestation of the translator’s subjectivity in the two English versions, the author employs the method of textual comparison and analysis.To sum up, through a comparative study of the two English versions of The Analects, this thesis probes into the manifestation of the translator’s subjectivity in its translation and points out the translator’s subjectivity is a very important factor contributing to diversified English versions of The Analects. It is hoped that the study could shed some light on the translation of Chinese classics and help deepen people’s understanding of the translator’s subjectivity.