On Cultural Misreading In Literary Translation From The Perspective Of Translation Ethics

In the literary exchange of different cultures, it inevitably generates cultural clash, conflict and blending. And the translator, rooted in the target language culture, is inescapably influenced by his way of life, thinking and language expression, which tend to produce cultural misreading to the original texts. Although cultural misreading is a universal phenomenon generated when the other culture is interpreted, it is often simply designated and criticized as "mistranslation" because of the lack or distortion of the original information. As translation researchers, further research is needed to investigate cultural misreading from macroscopic dynamics of context, history, culture, and out of static state of opposites between the source and target texts, in order to explore the deep causes and influence of cultural misreading. As a moral code which should be followed by translation subject, translation ethics provides a new perspective to analyze cultural misreading dynamically, objectively and multi-dimensionally, which can bring about a more comprehensive, fair and profound understanding of cultural misreading.On the basis of the previous research, this thesis focuses on the cultural misreading in literary translation and through the investigation of Lin Shu’s translation practice, probing into the causes and effects of cultural misreading and the proposed strategies and models applied by translators as the theoretical foundation of translation ethics and Chesterman’s ethical models. Besides, on the basis of understanding cultural misreading rationally and objectively, this thesis puts towards a high request to the translators’duty and ethical consciousness in order to promote cross-cultural communication.The conclusions drawn from this thesis are as follows.(1) The theory of translation ethics has extensive and strong explanatory power to regulate and guide the phenomenon of cultural misreading, which provides a powerful foundation to analyze cultural misreading objectively, rationally and fairly;(2) The application of cultural misreading embodies translators’compliance with different models of translation ethics and reflects the dynamic change of translator’s ethical awareness. From the point of cultural communication and spread, it has positive significance to study the cultural misreading; (3) This thesis specifically puts forward that any principles of translation ethics guiding translation practice should be established with the goal of preserving cultural diversity and facilitating common development of human society and culture, which enriches the theoretical connotation of translation ethics.