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Article published In: FORUM
Vol. 14:2 (2016) ► pp.211–238

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Research on translation review in China from the perspective of Bourdieu’s Sociology

A case study of China Reading Weekly from 2010 to 2014

 | Beihang University, China
 | Beijing International Studies University, China
 | Beihang University, China
Published online: 30 March 2017
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https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.14.2.03jun
Abstract
Translation review, as book review on translated works, aims to introduce, recommend and review translated works. In China, while great achievements were made in translation criticism since the 1990s, translation review was quantitatively understudied in translation studies, though it is, as a social practice, more practical and enjoys wider readership. Based on Bourdieu’s sociological theory of practice, namely, field, capital and habitus, this paper examines translation reviews in China Reading Weekly from 2010 to 2014 and argues that China fails to establish a translation field of its own, and translation review in China is subject to the multiple influences of the economic and cultural capital of the country, the symbolic capital of translators and reviewers, and the cultural capital and habitus of reviewers. The paper also puts forward some suggestions for the development of translation review in the future.
Résumé
Commentaire de traduction, comme celui sur les ouvrages traduits, vise à les introduire, les recommander et les commenter. Malgré les grandes réalisations dans la critique de traduction qui se sont faites en Chine depuis les années 1990, le commentaire de traduction reste quand même quantitativement sous-investigué, quoiqu’il soit, en tant qu’une pratique sociale, plus pratique et qu’il bénéficie d’un plus large lectorat. A partir des trois concepts proposés par Pierre Bourdieu dans sa théorie sociologique de la pratique, à savoir que le champ, le capital et l’habitus, cette étude examine les commentaires de traduction publiés de 2010 à 2014 dans Lecture Chine hebdomadaire et conclut que la Chine ne parvient pas à établir son propre domaine de traduction, et que le commentaire de traduction en Chine est soumis à de multiples influences : capital économique et culturel du pays, capital symbolique de traducteurs et commentateurs, et capital culturel et habitus de commentateurs. Sont aussi présentées dans cette étude quelques suggestions pour le développement étendu du commentaire de traduction.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Research background
    • 1.2Research objectives
  • 2.Methodology
    • 2.1Data collection
    • 2.2Data analysis
  • 3.Theoretical framework
    • 3.1Field
    • 3.2Capital
    • 3.3Habitus
  • 4.Data collection and analysis
    • 4.1The field of translated works in China
      • 4.1.1The performance of translation reviews of different types
      • 4.1.2The differentiation of translation review in various domains
    • 4.2The capital of related factors
      • 4.2.1The influence of nations: economic capital
      • 4.2.2The influence of translators and original authors: symbolic capital
      • 4.2.3The cultural capital of reviewers
    • 4.3The habitus of translation reviewers
      • 4.3.1Appraisal attitudes of translation reviewers
      • 4.3.2The common structure and content of translation reviews
      • 4.3.3Frequently used appraisal words
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
References (24)
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