An Intersubjectivity Study Of Ku Hungming’s English Version Of Lun Yu

Intersubjectivity in translation means the intrinsic relationships formed by translationsubjects that are involved in the translation activity. The original author, the translator, andthe target text reader are the subjects and they have the equal status in the communicationwith each other in the translation process. Intersubjectivity refers to the result of theinter-communication and inter-coordination among subjects. Accordingly, the interactivedialogical relationship among the three subjects further promotes the development ofintersubjectivity.Ku Hungming is a cultural celebrity and translator in China, and he has a thoroughknowledge of both the western culture and the traditional Chinese culture. His Englishtranslation of Lun Yu makes great contribution to the dissemination of Chinese culture andexerts great influence on western countries. This thesis gives an empirical analysis on theintersubjectivity of Ku Hungming’s English version of Lun Yu. By analyzing typicalexamples in Ku’s Lun Yu, the thesis discusses the intersubjectivity among the three subjects.It reveals that the relationship between the author and the translator is equal rather than amaster-servant one. The relationship between the translator and the target text reader isinevitable and it starts from the translator’s “readers’consciousness”.The analysis of Ku’s Lun Yu indicates that intersubjectivity pioneers a freshperspective for translation studies. Above all, it explicitly shows the internal relationshipamong the three subjects and further coordinates the dialogues among subjects. Besides,Ku’s choosing domestication strategy as a main strategy and foreignization as a subsidiarystrategy are exactly the fruits of an equal and interactive relationship among subjects.