A Study On The Exertion Of The Translator’s Subjectivity From Three English Versions Of Wenxin Diaolong

Since translation studies experience the cultural turn, the term of subjectivity of translator has received focus from translation scholars at home and abroad and thus become one of the hot issues in the translation studies. However, under the influence of traditional translation theories, the idea of subjectivity has been ignored for a long time. Based on the previous researches concerning this issue, this thesis introduces the change of the identity of the translator and stresses the translator’s subjectivity. However, rethinking the translator’s subjectivity does not mean that the translator can exert his or her subjective role without limit. The theory of the translator’s subjectivity provides us a firm foundation on which we analyze the restricting factors to the translator’s subjectivity.Wenxin Diaolong is a convergence and culmination of ancient statements on literary criticism. Its English versions have been studied by quite a few scholars, among which Stephen Owen’s and Yang Guobin’s and Vincent Yuchung Shih’s versions are representatives. As translators, they are quite different in their identities. Stephen Owen is a Sinologist of American origin, while Yang is a well-known scholar of Chinese origin. This difference will certainly exert profound impact upon their translation. Meanwhile, Vincent Yuchung Shih also has a unique education background and translation style. In the process of translating, translators may act with different identities:a reader, a writer, a creator and a cultural communicator. As a consequence of the differences in their multi-identities, the very three English versions bear advantages and disadvantages in text interpretation, language expression, and cultural communication. Therefore, in order to produce good versions, a translator should be conscious of his identity.This thesis is made up of five chapters. Chapter One is the introduction. The research background, objective, purpose and significance as well as methodology and organization together constitute the first part of this thesis. Chapter Two is literature review. It gives a brief introduction to both Wenxin Diaolong and the translator’s subjectivity. Chapter Three introduces the definition of the translator’s subjectivity and discusses the necessity, requirement and restriction of the translator’s subjectivity in the translation process. Chapter Four is the principal part of this thesis. The author uses a lot of examples to illustrate and compare the three selected versions. It aims to investigate in detail how the translators display their subjectivity in the choice of the original text, in the translation process and in the selection of translation strategies and translation styles. Chapter Five is the conclusion of this thesis. It is a summary of the major findings about this study, the limitations of the present research and suggestions for further study.Therefore, the study of the translator’s subjectivity should be deepened but meanwhile his or her active consciousness should not be magnified without limit and the influencing factors of the subjectivity should be further analyzed and studied. A correct understanding of this problem may be helpful to the study of translation theory and the development of translation criticism.