A Study Of Translator’s Subjectivity In Academic Translation From A Functionalist Perspective

This thesis aims to explore the translator’s subjectivity in academic translation from a functionalist perspective. With examples taken from the translating of Moses in America, the author analyzes the subject on two levels, i.e. solutions to translation problems and style refinement.The concept of translation problems is mentioned by Christiane Nord, one of the representatives of functionalist translation theory, when she illustrates the role of source-text ananlysis. Having analyzed the source text, the author finds that translation problems in the translating of Moses in America mainly consist of language problems and text-specific problems, which in turn involve sentence structures and figures of speech respectively. Under the guidance of functionalist translation theory, the author holds that when translating academic texts translators can change sentence structures flexibly and reorganize the information offered in the ST when it is necessary; and that figures of speech can be translated with creativity under the premise that the conceptual information is communicated and the basic readability assured.On the level of style refinement, the author’s view is based on Nord’s analysis of norms and conventions. To make the target text conform to the genre conventions of Chinese academic texts, the author advocates proper usage of idioms and classical Chinese words. The final purpose is to produce a target text which lives up to the expectation of the intended audience and features better readability.