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[Abstract] Prof.Zhang Peiji’s three English volumes of Selected Modern Chinese Prose Writings highlight his translation thoughts and translation styles, exerting great influence in translation circle. This thesis aims at demonstrating the characteristics of Zhang Peiji’s translated prose.
[Key words] Zhang Peiji;style;translator’s subjectivity
0.Introduction
Zhang Peiji’s three English Versions of Selected Modern Chinese Prose Writings is regarded as his classical representative works, for it provides abundant examples to illustrate general principles and skills of C—E prose translation.
1.The definition of the translator’s subjectivity
The translator's translating activities firstly refer to the translator’s subjective interpretation of the source text into the target text. Secondly,it refers to the translator's personal translating activities with regard to the target text.
2.The translator’s subjectivity displayed at the macro level
The phrase “macro level” here means that the analysis will focus on a larger scope instead of on the words,sentences or paragraphs and take his prose translation as an integral wholeness.Discussions will be mainly emphasized on the selection of the source text,translation purpose,and translation methods.
2.1 The selection of the original text
The decisions on what to translate involve the translator’s interests,cultural background and language understanding.And this initial choice or decision of the translator will duly determine the final translation product and also manifest the translator's subjectivity.Modem Chinese prose writings are his favorites,as he exclaims in the preface of the English version of Selected Modern Chinese Prose Writings.
2.2 Translation purpose
The translator’s purposes in translation may have influence on his choice of original texts. Prof. Zhang argues that the translator should endeavor to be loyal to the image of the original text and that too much paraphrase in the translated text is not proper because if so,what the translator is doing is not translating,but rewriting.To reach this translation purpose,he chooses his translation criteria‘‘faithfulness’’and “smoothness” correspondently.From this we can find that the purpose of his translation is not for readers to enjoy reading prose,but for them to learn something useful in Chinese prose and its translation.
And in most cases, the intention of the publishing house is in agreement with that of the translator.With the specific purposes or intentions in mind,the translator produces his translation which is quite close to the source text and culture. 2.3 The selection of translation strategies
According to the Skopostheorie,translation strategies and methods are determined by the translator’s purpose and the intended function of the target text (Nord,2001:29).Translators can adopt the way of word-for-word translation,or employ the method of complete rewriting or use any translation strategies between these two extremes,depending on the purpose for which the translation is intended.Hence Skopostheorie gives the translator a new perspective to decide which strategy will be employed in the whole process,which undoubtedly manifests the subjective status of the translator in translation activity.
3.The translator’s subjectivity displayed at the micro level
In this paper,analysis of the translator’s subjectivity at the micro level is mainly related to the understanding and expressing. The author will discuss this from the following aspects.
3.1 Lexical level
“Words alone do not carry meaning—or, at least, do not carry enough meaning”. An excellent translator knows which word is proper and how to choose a proper word.He should arrange them in accordance with their text instead of just piling them up without order for every word or idiom has its own style and usage.So the choice of this word instead of that one just embodies the translator’s subjectivity.
3.2 Syntactic level
“Syntax does indeed differ from language to language,and no one can reproduce the syntax of any language in any other language.But apparently because the movement, the flow, of prose syntax so closely represents the movement of the writer’s mind,a general approximation,or‘tracking,’of that syntactic flow was not only possible,in translating prose into English,even from so very different a language as Indonesian,but Was in fact required’’.The same thing is also true of translating prose from Chinese into English.
3.3 Figures of speech
Figures of speech are undoubtedly restricted by the special language material.English and Chinese belong to Indo·-European family and Sino-Tibetan family respectively, which result in the great difference not only in lexis,but also in syntax and text.A translator should keep the original rhetorical form as much as he can in order to reproduce the original style.
Conclusion:In conclusion, it is noted that Zhang Peiji permeates his translation of Selected Modern Chinese Prose Writings. Translator’s subjectivity is embodied in his changing of the subjects of the sentences,conjunctions,and literary images in his version;it is embodied in his changing of person or perspective in the narration,and also in the method of amplification.
Bibliography:
[1] James, Legge. The Chinese Classics, Volume4,5 [Z]. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1960a, b.
[2]Holmes,James Translated Papers on Library Translation and Translation Studies.Amsterdam:Rodopi,1988.
[3]Venuti,Lawrence.The translator's invisibility a History of Translation.
[Key words] Zhang Peiji;style;translator’s subjectivity
0.Introduction
Zhang Peiji’s three English Versions of Selected Modern Chinese Prose Writings is regarded as his classical representative works, for it provides abundant examples to illustrate general principles and skills of C—E prose translation.
1.The definition of the translator’s subjectivity
The translator's translating activities firstly refer to the translator’s subjective interpretation of the source text into the target text. Secondly,it refers to the translator's personal translating activities with regard to the target text.
2.The translator’s subjectivity displayed at the macro level
The phrase “macro level” here means that the analysis will focus on a larger scope instead of on the words,sentences or paragraphs and take his prose translation as an integral wholeness.Discussions will be mainly emphasized on the selection of the source text,translation purpose,and translation methods.
2.1 The selection of the original text
The decisions on what to translate involve the translator’s interests,cultural background and language understanding.And this initial choice or decision of the translator will duly determine the final translation product and also manifest the translator's subjectivity.Modem Chinese prose writings are his favorites,as he exclaims in the preface of the English version of Selected Modern Chinese Prose Writings.
2.2 Translation purpose
The translator’s purposes in translation may have influence on his choice of original texts. Prof. Zhang argues that the translator should endeavor to be loyal to the image of the original text and that too much paraphrase in the translated text is not proper because if so,what the translator is doing is not translating,but rewriting.To reach this translation purpose,he chooses his translation criteria‘‘faithfulness’’and “smoothness” correspondently.From this we can find that the purpose of his translation is not for readers to enjoy reading prose,but for them to learn something useful in Chinese prose and its translation.
And in most cases, the intention of the publishing house is in agreement with that of the translator.With the specific purposes or intentions in mind,the translator produces his translation which is quite close to the source text and culture. 2.3 The selection of translation strategies
According to the Skopostheorie,translation strategies and methods are determined by the translator’s purpose and the intended function of the target text (Nord,2001:29).Translators can adopt the way of word-for-word translation,or employ the method of complete rewriting or use any translation strategies between these two extremes,depending on the purpose for which the translation is intended.Hence Skopostheorie gives the translator a new perspective to decide which strategy will be employed in the whole process,which undoubtedly manifests the subjective status of the translator in translation activity.
3.The translator’s subjectivity displayed at the micro level
In this paper,analysis of the translator’s subjectivity at the micro level is mainly related to the understanding and expressing. The author will discuss this from the following aspects.
3.1 Lexical level
“Words alone do not carry meaning—or, at least, do not carry enough meaning”. An excellent translator knows which word is proper and how to choose a proper word.He should arrange them in accordance with their text instead of just piling them up without order for every word or idiom has its own style and usage.So the choice of this word instead of that one just embodies the translator’s subjectivity.
3.2 Syntactic level
“Syntax does indeed differ from language to language,and no one can reproduce the syntax of any language in any other language.But apparently because the movement, the flow, of prose syntax so closely represents the movement of the writer’s mind,a general approximation,or‘tracking,’of that syntactic flow was not only possible,in translating prose into English,even from so very different a language as Indonesian,but Was in fact required’’.The same thing is also true of translating prose from Chinese into English.
3.3 Figures of speech
Figures of speech are undoubtedly restricted by the special language material.English and Chinese belong to Indo·-European family and Sino-Tibetan family respectively, which result in the great difference not only in lexis,but also in syntax and text.A translator should keep the original rhetorical form as much as he can in order to reproduce the original style.
Conclusion:In conclusion, it is noted that Zhang Peiji permeates his translation of Selected Modern Chinese Prose Writings. Translator’s subjectivity is embodied in his changing of the subjects of the sentences,conjunctions,and literary images in his version;it is embodied in his changing of person or perspective in the narration,and also in the method of amplification.
Bibliography:
[1] James, Legge. The Chinese Classics, Volume4,5 [Z]. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1960a, b.
[2]Holmes,James Translated Papers on Library Translation and Translation Studies.Amsterdam:Rodopi,1988.
[3]Venuti,Lawrence.The translator's invisibility a History of Translation.