Yu Kwang-chung as a self-translator: a case study of the Night Watchman

Abstract

Self-translation is essentially a translation activity that involves one undertaking the task of rendering his/her own writings. A fundamental difference between conventional or third-party translators and self-translators is the fact that the latter has better access to their original intentions and the original cultural context of their work than the former. In spite of this seemingly ideal condition, together with the fact that self-translation has been practiced for centuries, the amount of academic interest it has received does not accurately reflect its true value and potential. Consequently, this dynamic practice has been underrated and frowned upon in literary studies until recent years. On the other hand, for many years, Yu Kwang-chung has been noted as a prolific and versatile poet and prose-writer but not so much as a translator and still less as a self-translator.

This study, therefore, seeks to identify the efforts and contributions made by Yu Kwang-chung within the translation arena and to raise awareness on the usefulness of self-translations in helping us to understand Yu Kwang-chung’s works as a whole.

Through conducting detailed investigations on existing literature, this study reveals the conscientious attitude Yu holds towards his translation career. Based on a complementary reading and analysis of Yu’s views on translation and the self-translation strategies he employs in rendering his bilingual book, The Night watchman, this research project identifies two unique features of Yu’s self-translation: in terms of sound, Yu tends to give musicality priority over mere correctness so as to maximize the musical qualities in his self-translation; with regards to sense, Yu’s manipulation on the meanings of imageries and cultural allusions reflects and reinforces the bicultural consciousness that is unique to Yu Kwang-chung’s works and himself as a literary figure.

Two contrastive studies are also conducted to contrast the nature and characteristics of self-translation and third-party translations. These two studies demonstrate that Yu treats his self-translations and his translations of other people’s work very differently. While Yu generally follows the original closely when translating the works of other poets, his self-translations are proved to be much more liberal and flexible in nature. Finally, this study attempts to answer the question of whether Yu’s self-translation is a translation or a new creation. Despite the numerous alterations made, Yu faithfully translates the essence of his own originalities and tries to stay true to himself in the English text. In addition, since no translation can be completely new, this study takes the stance that Yu’s self-translation is not a new creation although the few extreme cases found in The Night Watchman may be treated as rewritings of the original.