Literary Translation from the Perspective of Feminism

【Abstract】Gone with the Wind is world renowned as an immortal epic with over twenties translated versions. They embrace different styles and features， among which Fu donghuas （male） is the earliest and highly promoted， while Li meihuas （female）is also excellent， but her version is overshadowed by Fus and fails to get much focus as it deserves. This novel is a demonstration of a process that women are seeking independence and liberty during the civil war period. So， this paper aims at analyzing the subjectivity and unique translation features based on feminist perspective.

【Key words】Gone with the wind； Feminism； Subjectivity

【作者簡介】章旭阳（1995.09.23- ），女，江西南昌人，云南农业大学外语学院英语笔译研究生，研究方向：商务翻译应用与实践。

I. Introduction

Feminism is the belief that women should have equal rights in political， social， sexual and etc to men. It involves various theories and philosophies and advocates equality for women. （Judith Butler， 1990） Now， feminism has penetrated into various areas in Western society， ranging from culture to law， voting to integrity.

II. Research Background and Significance

Gender and translation have embraced a flourishing era and become a hot spot at present. peoples concern about gender greatly affect translation practice and theory. Literary works play an profound role in translation field. Many scholars did researches on feminist translation from aspects of culture by Liao Qiyi and hybridization by Fu Weifeng etc. This paper offers perspective from translators subjectivity， gender and focuses on the translations about females appearance and emotion to find out Lis exquisite description about female.

III. Translators Subjectivity in Feminist Translation

Translators subjectivity regards the translator as the “the subject of the translation”， and feminist translation emphasizes the translators subjective manipulation of the original. It not only clarify the translators identity but also promote females status.

1.Integration of Feminism and Translation

Translation is largely affected by translators gender and ideology. Traditionally， female and translation enjoy the same inferior positions in hierarchies respectively. Thus the integration of feminism and translation makes sense.

2.ntegration of Gender and Translation Theory

The combination of sex difference and translation forms the study of feminist translation process and vice versa. Long before the feminism boom， translation practice and translation theory seems to be “asexual”. Superficially， gender seems has nothing to do with translation， however， the fact is not the case for gender has a long history with the translation. Historically， translation serves as an significant method for women， especially the women in medieval Europe to enter the literary field. Indeed， half of the great works of modernism in France， Russia and Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries were translated by women. If we dated back to the ancient and modern times， we will find that there are numerous examples about gender differences and the translation.

3.The Embodiment of Feminist Theory in Gone With the Wind

Whether from a broad or narrow sense， Gone with the Wind can be deemed as a typical female literary work： written by female， mainly describes womens life， emotional experience and inner sufferings and reflects complex sense of female consciousness. Scarlett woken from the women-discriminated world and began to seek equality between women and men. Both the structure of the plot and the direction of the ideology and emotion have demonstrate that “women are the core of the work and regard as the pillar in that world”.

IV. Li Meihua and Her Translation

Born in August 1966， Li Meihuas is reputed as a doctor of literature， professor and etc. Her researches mainly focus on American novels and American feminist literature. She translated plenty of works， among which Gone with the Wind is a great success. Her published translation is partly corresponding to the feminist concepts.

1.The Shaping of Appearance

Scarlett is the main character in the novel， everything about her is important to extrude her characteristic. Scarlett is unscrupulously for benefit. She is always optimistic. To manifest her characteristics， appearance description is the key.

Example1：

That skin so prized by Southern women and so carefully guarded with bonnets， veils and mittens. . . （Mitchell， 2009）

Lis version： 南方的太太小姐們都非常珍爱这种肤色。她们头戴一顶帽子，脸上围裹着纱，手上戴者薄薄的手套，十分谨慎地呵护她们的肌肤。

The original words “so prized” and “so carefully guarded” are translated into “非常珍爱”， “十分谨慎地呵护”。It is evidently that lady Li is good at showing the degree that female value herself carefully. And the word“呵护”conveys that women are delicate and the emotion of desperate care. From this， we know female translator is sensitive to the original， so she carefully reflected Scarletts character and females inner space.

2.Females Unique Perspective in Translating

Females unique perspective in translating can well illustrate the original meaning of literary works. The translation by Li reflects unique features and social values， among which， the embodiment of female translators subjectivity awareness is the most prominent. Translators initiative is a main point in the feminist translation theory. Initiative was defined as the awareness reflected in translating process as a flexibility. when the translator attempts to achieve the aim， she might focus more on the translation projects according to her own thoughts.

Example2：

she thought dully what Aunt Pity would say， if she could see her sprawled here on the front porch with her skirts up and her drawers showing but she didnt care. （Mitchell， 2009）

Lis version： 她悶闷不乐地想，要是白爹姑妈看见她伸开四肢躺在屋前的游廊上，拉起裙子，连内裤也露了出来，不知她会怎么说。

Lady Li boldly expresses the girls feature with words like“连内裤也露了出来”. As Flotow said feminist writers have identified sexuality as the factor underlying these stereotypes and have responded by breaking open these stereotypes and moving beyond these clichés. （Flotow， 2004： 17） In this case， it describes the girls state of desperate after a nightmare， and she totally at a loss. The original clearly depict Scarletts helpless while Li translated the meaning faithfully. In addition， as a new times woman， her actions and minds are very open， she is dare to violate the traditional norms and image.

Conclusion

The essence of translation is designed to achieve the exchange between different cultures. In todays translation practice， translators subjectivity status has been highlighted， while gender as the main symbol of the translator， its impact on translation has also been wide accepted. Feminism influence in translation practice in particular has achieved fruitful results.

Feminist translation proposed a series of highly creative translation strategies. And provided a new perspective for translation studies， which is worthy of being referenced by scholars of translation. In the context of new era， gender topic has won more and more attention in many fields. Once Lady Li possesses “the essence of self”， then her translation is not just faithful to the original， but also faithful to females experience.

To sum up， the embodiment of Lady Lis feminine perspective is that she is able to blend in her gender awareness， depicts and eulogizes females， and voices female emotional desire. Her female consciousness finds expression in this translation.

References：

[1]Flotow，L.V.Translation and Gender：Translating in the era of Feminism[M]Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press，2004.

[2]Mitchell，Margart，Gone with the wind[M]New York：Warner Books， 2009.

[3]李美华，译.飘[M].南京：译林出版社，2003.

[4]喻丽霞.女性主义翻译视角下译者主体性研究[D].西北大学， 2017.