1 Subjectivity of the translator
The traditional translation studies are source-oriented and think that translation is just a kind of linguistic transformation, but seen from actual translation activities, these activities are fused with the translator’s subjectivity. So recently, many scholars, such as Gideon Toury (1980), Susan Bassnett and Andre Lefevere (1990), Zha Mingjian and Tian Yu (2003) and Tu Guo Yuan and Zhu Xian Long (2003) etc., turn to target-oriented approach. They abandon partial and prejudice viewpoints of traditional translation studies, and recognize the subjectivity of the translator. The translator is subjective initiative and active in translating, not just being how to be faithful and loyal to the author and the source text. Consciously or unconsciously, the translator’s subjectivity is something that doesn’t warrant serious consideration.
1. 1 Definition of the translator’s subjectivity
A definition of the subjectivity of the translator can be summarized as: the translator’s subjectivity refers to the subjective agency of the translator reflected in the translating process in order to achieve his translating purpose. It’s major characteristics include the translator’s cultural consciousness, aesthetic tendency, creativity and judgment standards etc.
Since the Cultural Turn in translation studies in the West after the 1970s, translation studies are gradually turning into target-oriented approach. It puts the translator on an equal footing with other participants in translation, namely the source text writer and the target text readers. In the whole process of translation, the translator plays the most active role. But till nowadays, many domestic and foreign scholars have given different definitions of the translator’s subjectivity. “Some think that the translator is the only subject of translation, some think that both the author and translator are the subjects of translation, some think both the translator and reader are the subjects of translation, and others think that all the author, translator and reader are the subjects of translation”. [2] According to Xu Jun’s viewpoint, “translator is the subject of translation in a narrow sense, while all the author, translator and reader are the subjects of translation in a broad sense”. [3] So the translation subjectivity is viewed as an inter-subjectivity of all these subjects. All subjects’ roles should be taken into consideration in the process of translation, in which the translator takes the central and most active position. Apparently, the translator exerts his subjective agency in translating activities, but at the same time he will be affected and restricted by the author, source text, readers and reception contexts. The translator’s subjectivity doesn’t refer to mistranslation and random translation, absolutely ignoring other factors. “In Foucault’s discourse, subjectivity is so defined: subjectivity: subjuation (subjection); subjugated: being made subject to, being governed by institutional forces that control and frame”. [4] Also, “Althusser defined that a person becomes a “subject” in both senses at once, by being made thinking and feeling individual who is subjected to hegemonic forces. And subjectivity, in other words, is subjection. Subjectivity, the state of being a thinking and feeling subject, only comes into being in to a political context of domination and submission, or subjection”. [4] What the subject thinks and feels is what the ideological state apparatuses want him or her to think or feel. It’s apparent that subjective agency can not be brought to bear at random, but is made subject to and governed by some external environment and factors.
Translation is considered as a cross-cultural communication among different languages. It must be done and accomplished by human beings, even if machine translating. The translator, as a human being, inevitably has his own subjective agency and creativity. In order to reach his translation aims, the translator will use his subjective agency to translate the source text at his own cultural backgrounds. And translating practice will be accomplished in a special historical period, so the translator must use activity and creativity in translating to achieve the purpose of translation. Moreover, the aesthetics of target text readers and fusion of horizons are different in different cultural backgrounds. Thus, the reader’s reception is an underlying factor of the translating activities, and the reader’s horizon of expectation must be taken into account in translation process. Furthermore, every translator has his own living environment and experience, leaving his own emotion, think manner, value standard in the target texts. Therefore, the translator will unavoidably involve subjective factors in the choice of source texts, translating strategies and determination of translational skopos.
1. 2 A general review of research on translational subjectivity
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