The Ideology of Translator in Literary Translation
—— A case study of the translation of words in Gone with the Wind

王靖涵 （西安外事學院外國語學院 陜西西安 710077）

The Ideology of Translator in Literary Translation
—— A case study of the translation of words in Gone with the Wind

王靖涵 （西安外事學院外國語學院 陜西西安 710077）

Abstract：In this paper， Andre Lefevere’s theory about the ideological pressures on the translator and strategies that the translator adopts in translation is highlighted. It strives to analyze how translators’ ideology dictates their translations by comparing the translation of words in two Chinese versions of Gone with the Wind——Fu Donghua’s version of 1940s and Li Meihua’s version of 1990s respectively.

Key words: ideology; translation of words; Gone with the Wind;comparison

Introduction

Gone with the Wind is a well-known novel written by American woman writer Margaret Mitchell. It has been translated by translators of different ages. In the paper， Fu Donghua’s version of 1940 and Li Meihua’s version of 2000 are compared and analyzed under Andre Lefevere’s theory of ideology. Through the analysis，it shows that in 1940s， translators’ ideology was determined by the “war ideology”. However， in 1990’s， people’s ideology was greatly changed. The reasons for them to translate this novel are totally different from Fu Donghua’s. Because of different ideology of translators， they adopt distinct translation strategies in translating words of the original novel.

Lefevere’s Theory of Ideology

As the representative of cultural-based approaches to translation studies， Andre Lefevere argues that translation is a rewriting of an original text.Translators， as rewriters， are obviously influenced by the fact that they occupied a certain position with a certain institution. The image of a literary work as projected by a translation is determined basically by two factors----the translator’s ideology and the poetics dominant in the receiving literature at the time the translation is made.[1]For Lefevere， the most important consideration is “questions about the ideological pressures on the translator and strategies that the translator has for influencing the intellectual milieu.”[2]The poetics consideration refers to the dominant poetics in the TL culture. Together these two factors dominant the translation strategy and the solutions to problems concerned in translation.[3]However， in this paper， the ideological pressures on the translator in literary translation are stressed.

The Dominant Ideology of Two Chinese Versions

Gone with the Wind has been translated by the translators of all ages. It was first introduced to Chinese readers by Fu Donghua in the 1940s. Then several other versions were produced successively. This part deals with a comparison between Fu Donghua’s version of 1940， and Li Meihua’s version of 2000. The comparisons fall on the ideological constrains of 1940s and of 1990s respectively.

The dominant ideology in 1940s

During 1930s-1940s， China has undergone successive suffering and disturbance by war， first by the war against Japan and then by the civil war. Under such condition， people’s life was greatly affected and their security was threatened. The survival and the future of the country became the concerns of the multitude.Lots of people began to probe the way of getting rid of war sufferings and helping people rebuild the sense of security. Accordingly， a new ideology came into people’s mind that is now termed as “War ideology”.[4]This “War ideology” in 1937-1945 emphasized “to defend China from Japanese invasion” and “to fight for the survival of the country and its people”.

Comparison of the Translation of Words between Two Versions

From the analysis above we can see， Fu Donghua assumed the original novel as a popular fiction and a simple love story. So the aim of translation was to take in information rather than culture. In his version，there is an extensive employment of the strategy of domestication. Compared with Fu’s version， Li’s is more foreignized.

In translating characters’ names and geographical names， Fu translated them all into Chinese style. For example，Scarlett O’ Hara is translated into“郝思嘉” ， Stuart and Brent Tarleton into “湯斯徒”，“湯伯倫”， Atlanta as“餓狼陀” ， Charleston as “曹氏屯”.This kind of translation is easy to confuse readers. The whole story seems to take place somewhere in China and all characters are Chinese. In comparison with Fu’s version，Li’s version preserves the distinct foreign flavor of the original by taking the measure of foreignization in translation. For instance， the names “Stuart Tarleton”and “Brent Tarleton” are translated into “斯圖爾特?塔爾頓”，“布倫特?塔爾頓” by Li Meihua.

Fu Donghua held the opinion that Gone with the Wind was a popular fiction that suits to the taste of general public and is read just for entertainment. Thus the language ought to be plain and familiar to ordinary readers. In his translation， a lot of colloquial words are used. While， Li Meihua avoids choosing those words and expressions in order to keep the elegant style of a classical masterpiece. For examples:

(1) And then the horse began snorting and rearing…(Mitchell，1980:8)

那馬又重新噴起鼻孔豎起牌樓來(Fu， 1940:6)[7]

馬又開始噴著鼻息又嘶又叫，還用右腿站了起來(Li，2000:8)[8]

(2)“Prissy is a likely little wench and so——”(Mitchell，1980:38)

“百利子這小妞兒可愛哪，所以就——”(Fu，1940:36)

“普里西是個是個漂亮的小女孩，所以——”(Li，2000:38)

(3)Drill always ended in the saloons of Jonesboro…(Mitchell，1980:22)

操練的最后一幕，照例是在鐘氏坡的各家酒館里(Fu，1940:23)

訓練總是以再瓊斯伯勒的沙龍聚會而告終(Li，2000:24)

(4)“I will do it or go into convent at Chrleston.”(Mitchell，1980:56)

我要這么做，他是好人。要不我就到曹氏屯做尼姑去。(Fu，1940:61)

我要這么做，要不然我就到查爾斯頓的女修道院去。(Li，2000:68)

Conclusion

In this paper， the author makes a comparison on the translation of words between two Chinese versions of the novel Gone with the Wind. Translation process does not take place in vacuum. Translators can not escape from the ideological constrains of the society they stay.Through the comparison of words in the two versions，it is found that because of dissimilar ideology of translator， Fu Donghua， and Li Meihua apply different strategies in translating words and their translations towards the same word are different. Therefore， when we analyze a translated version， the factor of ideology of translator has to be put into consideration in order to have a better understanding of the version.

Reference:

[1]王友貴.（2003）. 意識形態與二十世紀中國翻譯文學史（1899-1979）. 《中國翻譯》，24，12-15.

[2]朱云.（2005）.從歷史和文化的角度對《飄》的三個中譯本的描述性對比研究. 優秀博碩士論文庫，11-20. CNKI數據庫.

3．Mitchell ， Margaret.(1980). Gone with the Wind. London: Pan Books Ltd.