A Study Of The Translator’s Subjectivity In The English Translation Of Children’s Chinese Poetry

Translator is the major element in the process of translation. However, his statushas long been marginalized. The translator is restricted by “fidelity” standard from thebeginning of translation. In the1980s, the “cultural turn” enhanced the status oftranslator, which brings the recognition to translator. Scholars began to studytranslator’s subjectivity from different perspectives. However, many studies putspecial emphasis on the significance of the exercise of translator’s subjectivity,whereas various factors affecting translator’s subjectivity are neglected. As a result,how to exercise translator’s subjectivity appropriately becomes a disputable issue.Similar to translator, children’s poetry has not got deserved value, either. Afterthe May4thMovement, large amounts of foreign children’s literature works wereintroduced to China, while the number of children’s poetry was very small. On thecontrary, Chinese children’s literature works were seldom spread to foreign countries,much less to Chinese children’s poetry.Therefore, this thesis tries to analyze the exercise of translator’s subjectivityunder certain constraints in the process of English translation of Chinese children’spoetry comprehensively and objectively. The thesis attempts to draw people’sattention to children’s poetry, promote the dissemination of Chinese children’s poetryand further boost the development of translation practice and criticism.This thesis mainly answers the following two questions:1. How is the translator’s subjectivity reflected in the English translation ofChinese Children’s poetry?2. What factors affect translator’s subjectivity in the English translation ofChinese Children’s poetry?The research subject is the English translation collection of Chinese children’spoetry. The author attempts to analyze the manifestation of translator’s subjectivityand factors affecting translator’s subjectivity through text analysis and comparison.The data are selected from the published book named “English-Chinese Contrast ofSelected Chinese Children’s Poetry”. The author took part in the translation of somepoems of this book in person. Therefore, the author can analyze the exercise oftranslator’s subjectivity more elaborately in details.This thesis finds that in the English translation of Chinese children’s poetry,translator’s subjectivity is reflected in selecting materials and strategies, language, culture and aesthetic level. The factors affecting translator’s subjectivity mainlyinclude translator’s interest, intention, aesthetic taste, source text, children’s interestand ability to understand, social-historical concepts, translator’s bilingual andcross-cultural ability and adult acting as translator.Since translator’s subjectivity is the dialectical unification of initiative andconstraints, the translator should consciously strike the balance between faithfulnessand creativity in all aspects to exercise subjectivity appropriately, but not liketraditional translation, the translators exercise subjectivity unconsciously, and theyeither overact or can not give full play of their subjectivity. Besides, the evaluation oftranslator’s subjectivity should be more comprehensive and objective, taking all thefactors into account, which will boost the improvement of translation practice andcriticism.