Dissertation > Excellent graduate degree dissertation topics show

A Study on Lin Yutang’s Translation

Author: SunZhenLiang
Tutor: HuangDeXin
School: Shandong Normal University
Course: English Language and Literature
Keywords: Lin Yutang faithfulness fluency aesthetics Lefevere’s three-factor theory
CLC: I206.6
Type: Master's thesis
Year: 2006
Downloads: 789
Quote: 4
Read: Download Dissertation

Abstract

This thesis is intended to make a case study of the great translator Lin Yutang. Lin Yutang put forward his own translation theory, which is systematic andcomprehensive. He argued that a translator should fulfill three requirements: (1) acomplete understanding of the language and contents of the original text;(2) so gooda command of the Chinese language that smooth and expressive texts can be written,(3) enough training on translation to hold proper opinions on the standards andtechniques of translation. Simply speaking, a translator should have bilingualknowledge and professional training on translation. Lin Yutang also raised his threecriteria for translation, i.e. faithfulness, fluency and aesthetics, as well as his views onpoetry translation, and further put forward three responsibilities, respectively theresponsibility for the source text, for the target readership and for art.Lin’s greatness lies not only in his translation theory, but also in his translationpractice. Lin Yutang translated a substantial quantity of ancient Chinese literary works,including many ancient Chinese classics. Almost all the works he translated are aboutHsingling, humor or leisure, i.e. they conform to Lin’s literary views. The authorpresents and analyzes some typical examples to prove that his translation practice wasguided by his own translation theory.It is not enough just to evaluate whether Lin’s translation works reached histranslation standards, because the historical and cultural context should also be putinto consideration. After analyzing Lin’s translated works from a microscopicperspective, the author analyzes Lin’s translation practice from a macroscopicperspective by means of the application of Andre Lefevere’s three-factor theory to thestudy of Lin’s translation practice. After the discussion of how poetics, ideology andpatronage influenced Lin’s translation activities, Lin’s choice of translation materialsand translation strategies can be much better understood.The thesis consists of introduction, body (from Chapter One to Chapter Four)and conclusion.“Introduction” aims at making clear the reason why the author does the presentresearch, the writing purpose and the perspective of the thesis.Chapter One is “Literature Review”, which aims at reviewing previous researchfruits on the study of Lin’s translation.Chapter Two analyzes Lin Yutang’s translation theory in detail, and the aloofnessbetween Lin Yutang and Lu Xun for a better understanding of Lin’s translation theory.Lin Yutang put forward that a translator should satisfy three requirements and fulfillthree responsibilities. He was the first Chinese translator who based his translationtheory on the basis of modern linguistics and psychology. As for poetry translation, heattached the greatest importance to artistic conceptions and the conveyance of thefeeling-tone.Chapter Three explores Lin Yutang’s translation practice from a microscopicperspective. The author lists Lin’s translated works, editings and rewritings, and thenanalyzes some examples by comparing the original with Lin’s translation. In thischapter, the author also discusses the principles that Lin Yutang employed whenconveying cultural information.Chapter Four probes into Lin Yutang’s translation practice from a macroscopicperspective by means of the application of Andre Lefevere’s three-factor theory to LinYutang’s translation. The author first introduces Andre Lefevere’s three-factor theory,and then discusses how poetics, ideology and patronage influenced Lin’s translationpractice in detail. On the basis of Lefevere’s definition of poetics and the peculiarhistorical context during Lin’s times, the author divides poetics into literature poeticsand translation poetics. The author also attempts to analyze the influence of ideologyon Lin’s translation from the perspectives of political motives, social cultures andethics, readers’ aesthetic standard and reading anticipation as well as translator’sindividual ideology. When discussing the influence of patronage on Lin’s translation,the author divides Lin’s translation practice into three stages and analyzes the patronsduring different stages.The last part is “Conclusion”. By analyzing Lin’s translation practice not onlyfrom the traditional way of comparing the original and its translation, but also fromthe cultural perspective, the author hopes that such a study is a helpful complement totoday’s studies on Lin Yutang, and a small contribution to the present translationstudies in China.

Related Dissertations

CLC: > Literature > Chinese Literature > Literature Review and Research > Modern literature ( from 1919 to 1949 )
© 2012 www.DissertationTopic.Net Mobile