The writer as translator : a study on Yu Kwang-chung's discourse on translation = Zuo you shou yi wai de mou si : Yu Guangzhong fan yi hua yu yan jiu

Abstract

Yu Kwang-chung (1928- ) is one of the most versatile and prolific writers in the contemporary Chinese literary world. Translation is one of his many accomplishments. Using Martha Cheung’s theoretical framework of translation discourses, this study examines Yu’s views on translation, especially his opinions about the nature of the target language. It is found that Yu’s views on language in translation correlate significantly with his ideas on language in creative writing, which are in line with his discourse on literature as well as his perception of culture.

As a translator and translation theorist, Yu insists that for English-Chinese translation the source text should be rendered into idiomatic and fluent Chinese, avoiding Europeanised forms. This study critically examines the assumptions and possible fallacies of this viewpoint. From the standpoint of the “translator’s invisibility”, a notion formulated by Lawrence Venuti, Yu’s insistence on the naturalness of the target language in translation can be shown to contradict his position on elevating the translator’s status. It also exposes his inclination towards linguistic purism: viewed against the history of the Chinese language as well as popular language usage in contemporary China, Yu’s critique of the Europeanisation of modern written Chinese may run counter to the dynamic nature of linguistic norms.