The Influence of Patronage on the Two Chinese Versions of Sons and Lovers

【Abstract】：Under the framework of Rewriting Theory， the author has done a comparative study of the translation differences caused by different patronages between the two Chinese versions of Sons and Lovers in 1983 and 2012. Examples from the two versions are given and different patronages in the 1980s and 2010s are analyzed in this paper. It proves that patronage constraints influence the translation process.

【Key words】：Sons and Lovers; Chinese translations; Rewriting Theory; Patronage

Lefevere put forward that patronage “operates mostly outside the literary system”. Patronage means “something like the powers （persons， institutions） that can further or hinder the reading， writing， and rewriting of literature”. （Lefevere， 2004b：15） Patronage can be exerted by persons， groups of persons and institutions. （ibid.） It consists of three elements： an ideological component， economic component and an element of status. （Lefevere， 2004b：16） Patrons influence the translations greatly. They can decide that who will do the translation for them and which translation to be published. Besides， they “can encourage the publication of translations they consider acceptable and they can also quite effectively prevent the publication of translations they do not consider so”. （Lefevere， 2004a：19） Due to the different historical and cultural backgrounds of 1980s and 20102， the influences of patronage on the versions of 1980s and 2010s are also different. In the following， the author will probe into the influence of patronage exerting on the two Chinese version of Sons and Lovers in 1980s and 2010s respectively.

Between 1950s and 1970s， literature was considered as a kind of ideology which had nothing to do with money or commodity. After 1978， economic construction and achieving modernization were the focus of social construction. China began to adopt the policy of reform and opening up since the ten years’ seclusion from outside world in Great Cultural Revolution. Literary workers who were clearly aware of the backward situation of Chinese literature were eager to know the western academic and cultural achievements. Also， people in that time were expecting to know the outside world. As a main way of introducing western culture， translations published by various publishing houses came into a certain scale soon. As a classic modernist novel， the first Chinese version of Sons and Lovers which translated by Chen Liangting and Liu Wenlan in 1983 was published in 1987 by People’s Literature Publishing House. As a national professional literature publishing agency， it chose Chen Liangitng and his wife to translate Sons and Lovers. Chen Liangting， a professional translator， his several translations had been published by different publishing houses before 1983. One of his translations was published by People’s Literature Publishing House in 1985. Therefore， Chen was a famous translator in that time. It is no wonder that People’s Literature Publishing House determined to publish Chens’ Chinese version. In order to meet contemporary readers’ need， Chen Liangting and his wife adopted the strategy of foreignization to keep the original content and style. Therefore， readers in 1980s could have a taste of foreign flavor. Besides， many notes were added into this version， which made the audience easy to know English culture. Chens’ version also enjoys a good reputation in modern times. It has been printed again in 2006.

The policy of market economy taking the place of planned economy was put forward in 1992. The reforming literary system is proposed as a cultural policy. Writers， literature publications and publishing houses entered market and no longer relied on state funding. Literature had become a commodity in 1990s. The writing， publishing and distribution are influenced and intervened by the selection of market. With the development of socialist market economy and consumer-oriented society in 2010s， the nature of commodities is more obvious in literature works. In order to make more profits and further develop themselves， presses compete with one another. Many publishers cooperate with distributers to make profits together. The readers’ demand becomes more and more important. The need of consumers can directly determine literature works’ fate. The recent version of Sons and Lovers is published by Yilin Press in 2012. In order to meet the readers’ need， Yilin Press published a bilingual version with one Chinese version and an English version. With the trend of globalization， learning English becomes increasingly important. Language ability is a crucial measure either in finding a job or record of entrance examinations. For many college students， passing English examinations is a necessity to graduate， for example， （College English Text） CET-4， CET-6， （Test for English Major） TEM-4 and TEM-8. When hunting for a job， English language ability is essential part of an employee. Nearly everyone learns English， especially students. The targeted readers of classic English literature translations contain not only literature lovers but also many English learners. For publishing agencies， it is a huge and potential market， that’s why so many versions of the same literature work appear. Chen Hongyu adopted the strategy of domestication to translate the novel so that it is very easy to read. When readers read it， they may feel very familiar with the language style and buy it.

Bibliography：

[1] Lefevere， Translation， History and Culture： A sourcebook [M]. Shanghai： Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press， 2004a.

[2] Lefevere， Rewriting and the Manipulation of Literary Fame[M]. Shanghai： Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press， 2004b.

[3] D. H. Lawrence， 陳紅玉譯，兒子與情人 [M].南京：譯林出版社，2012.

[4] D. H. Lawrence， 陳良廷，劉文瀾譯，兒子與情人 [M].北京：人民文學(xué)出版社，1983.