Ideology Manipulation Reflected in the Translation of Selected Works of Mao Zedong

张艳丽 谢建平

Abstract: This paper tries to discuss Lefeveres manipulation theory how to manipulate the translation of Selected Works of Mao Zedong (hereafter shortened by Selected Works) through the translation strategy. In the analysis of the translation of Selected Works, the author concludes that the translation of Selected Works is the result of the manipulation of the social-political ideology.

Key Words: Manipulation;Selected;Works;ideology;patronage

Chairman Mao Zedong was one of the greatest statesmen, strategists, thinkers and poets well versed in both ancient and modern learning of China. He is also the language giant. Selected Works as the political writing is the carrier of Maos thoughts. Therefore, translation studies on Selected Works help to make foreign readers know more about China and disseminate Chinese culture. André Lefevere, one of the representatives of cultural studies in translation, develops the manipulation theory and proposes the translation is manipulated by the ideology and poetics.

一、Dominant Ideology in Translation of Selected Works

Each society has its own ideology system, and the translators must do their work within their society's ideological range. The founding of the People's Republic of China represents the establ-

ishment of a brand new social system with Marxism and Leninism as the dominant ideology. In the new historical period, comrade Mao Zedong, consistently upholding the principle of integrating the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete practice of the revolution, inherited, defended and developed Marxism-Lenin-

ism as he led our party and our people in a series of struggles. So at this time the CPC placed the translation of Selected Works on the agenda out of the social-political ideology.

二、Strategy: Foreignization Orientation

For Lefevere(2004:34), ideology will “dictates the basic strategy the translator is going to use…the language and the original itself is expressed in.”It implies that the dominant ideology determines the translation ideology. So for the translation of Selected Works, the CPC definitely determines the translation strategy.

The study adopts the translation strategy proposed by Venuti. That is "domestication" and "foreignization". Do-

mestication means bringing the foreign culture closer to the reader in the target culture, making the text recognizable and familiar. Foreignization, on the other hand, means taking the reader over to the foreign culture, making him or her see the differences and including literal translation and literal translation plus notes.

Selected Works represents the polic-

ies of the Communist Party of China, the interests of our nation and people. So when translate Selected Works into English, the foreignization takes up the No.1. It strives to reproduce both the ideological content and style of the ent-

ire work and to retain the sentence str-

uctures or patterns as many as possible.“纸老虎” is a typical example to resort to literal translation. The rendering as “paper tiger” remains the image of ST, and translating literally is enough to get across the original vividness as well as underlying meaning. Certainly, there are many other instances in Selected Works: