A Study Of The Translator’s Subjectivity In Zhang Guruo’s Chinese Version Of The Return Of The Native

In traditional translation studies, the source text tends to be put at the first place and treated as the absolute standard to evaluate the translated text, and translation is simply viewed as an imitative process of the source text. Due to the ignorance of the translator’s subjectivity and creativity, the translator was treated as the "servant" of the source text and the "invisible man" in translation activities for a rather long time. Since the cultural turn in the 1970s, the cross-over study of translation theories and other disciplines has provided a new perspective for translation studies. The research on the translator’s subjectivity has also become a hot issue that receives more and more attention.Zhang Guruo is an eminent translator who has devoted his life to the translation of British literature, especially works of Thomas Hardy. His translations known as "faithful, expressive and fluent" are widely regarded as "the models of Chinese translation". The Return of Native first translated by Zhang Guruo in the 1930s has received wide praise upon its publishing. Until nowadays, it is still one of the most classic and popular versions among readers. Therefore, based on the analysis of the Chinese version of Zhang Guruo, the display of the translator’s subjectivity can be better illustrated so as to offer guidance for literary translation practice.This thesis taking Zhang Guruo’s Chinese version The Return of the Native as a case study is divided into five chapters. The first chapter briefly presents the research background, research objectives and research significance. Chapter two elaborates the definitions of the subject of translation and the translator’s subjectivity and makes a review of the relevant studies of the translator’s subjectivity both at home and abroad. Chapter three introduces the profiles of the writer and the translator as well as his translation thoughts. Chapter four analyzes the manifestation of the translator’s subjectivity in the translation process through numerous examples. Chapter five reaches a conclusion that the translator as the subject of translation plays a decisive role in the translation process. The translation purpose, individual aesthetic as well as the cultural standpoint of the translator directly influence the display of his/her subjectivity and decide the final look of the translation. Therefore, in the future research of literary translation, the translator’s subjectivity is a realm that deserves more attention.