On Translator’s Subjectivity from the Perspective of Bakhtin’s Dialogism - A Case Study of A Farewell to Arms

College of Foreign Languages, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, 266590, China

^* Corresponding author: b10732009@office365.npust.edu.tw

Abstract

The dialogism proposed by Bakhtin emphasized the polyphony and interactivity in language, culture and social practice, and is an important part of literary theory. He advocates each expression in the text is regarded as the result of the intersection, penetration and dialogue of many voices. Hence, translation itself can be seen as a cross-cultural dialogue between the author and the translator. Guided by Bakhtin’s dialogism, this paper delves into the translator’s subjectivity in A Farewell to Arms by Nobel Prize winner Hemingway and its Chinese translation by Lin Yijin, analyzing the influence of the translator’s subjectivity on the translation and Lin Yijin’s interpretation of the text, the study found that translation itself can be regarded as a kind of dialogue. This promotes the application and understanding of dialogism in the field of translation. It not only promotes dialogism, but also provides a new research perspective for the in-depth development of translation studies and literature, encourages more researchers to devote themselves to this interdisciplinary and cross-cultural field, and conduct more ideological collisions. At the same time, it promotes the public’s in-depth understanding of the translator’s role.