A Comparative Study Of The Two English Translations Of Shanhaijing From The Perspective Of Translator’s Subjectivity

Shanhaijing,a unique and invaluable encyclopedic record of various beliefs held by the ancient Chinese about the world,remains one of the least understood and most difficult books in China so far.Even though many English versions of this book have appeared,however,there are only a handful of related theoretical papers on its translation so far.This thesis intends to fill in the blank in the study of translated Shan Hai Jing.Drawing on the theory of translator’s subjectivity,this thesis offers a detailed comparison between two versions of Shan Hai Jing,i.e.,a 2010 version by Wang Hong and a 1999 version by Anne Birrel.It is found,through the analysis,that the translator’s subjectivity is reflected in text selection,translation style,translation strategies and the consciousness of readers,and its manifestations are inevitably influenced by the translator’s cultural background,academic preferences,attitude towards translation and work style.Besides,the personal identity and motivation of the translator also play an important role throughout the translational process.To a significant extent it is the translator’s subjectivity that accounts for the differences in style and effect between different English versions.The original text selected for this study is Shan Hai Jing,a canonical masterpiece whose rich connotations add to the values of this study.The comparative analysis of Shan Hai Jing from the perspective of translator’s subjectivity,promises on the one hand to raise the theoretical level of the study of translator’s subjectivity,and on the other hand,to offer a new perspective for the translation of Chinese classics.