On Gao Jian’s Views Of Translation -Based On Paratexts Of His Translations

Prof.Gao Jian(1929-2013)is engaged in his translation career for more than forty years and fairly experienced in selecting and translating of British and American essays.In recent years,domestic scholars? research on Gao Jian?s translation has presented a growing trend.And they mainly put their emphasis on the analysis of Gao Jian?s Language Character Theory,Coordination Theory and his translation style.However,few of them have paid attention to the large number of paratextual elements of his translation works,such as prefaces and notes,which are an indispensable part for the investigation into his views of translation.Therefore,this thesis,based on the paratext theory by Genette,made an attempt to delve into Gao Jian?s views of translation by analyzing the paratexts(including prefaces,notes and conversations,etc.)of his translations.In terms of selection of the source text,Gao Jian holds that one should combine the practical needs of Chinese translation field with one?s own translation competence so as to make contributions to the further development of Chinese translation field;in the meantime,Gao Jian maintains higher standards for the quality of his translations and insists that a translator should pursue perfection in translation and that good translations should be faithful and accurate in content and natural and harmonious in expression;besides,if one desires to be a qualified literary translator,in Gao Jian?s opinion,the acquisition of profound knowledge,the stress on personal style and the familiarity with the characters of both languages are efforts one has to make when he/she has mastered the basic knowledge and skills of translation;at the same time,a good translator is supposed to be responsible for the target readers by providing them with proper convenience and giving them beneficial guidance.This study examined Gao Jian?s translation views that are based on the paratextual elements of his translations so that the research scope and research methods on Gao Jian?s translation can be further broadened and a more comprehensive Gao Jian will be presented to readers and researchers.Meanwhile,the paratexts of a translation play an important role in the research on the visibility of a translator.In consequence,it is sincerely recommended to pay more attention to the paratextual elements on the individual studies of translators in the future.