Translating Feminism in China This book explores translation of feminism in China through examining several Chinese translations of two typical feminist works: The Second Sex (TSS, Beauvoir 1949/1952) and The Vagina Monologues (TVM, Ensler 1998). TSS exposes the cultural construction of woman while TVM reveals the pervasiveness of sexual oppression toward women. The female body and female sexuality (including lesbian sexuality) constitute a challenge to the Chinese translators due to cultural differences and sexuality still being a sensitive topic in China. This book inves­ tigates from gender and feminist perspectives, how TSS and TVM have been translated and received in China, with special attention to how the translators meet the challenges. Since translation is the gateway to the reception of feminism, an examination of the translations should reveal the response to feminism of the translator as the fi rst reader and gatekeeper, and how feminism is translated both ideologically and technically in China. The translators’ decisions are discussed within the social, historical, and political contexts. Translating Feminism in China discusses, among other issues: • Feminist translation: practice, theory, and studies • Translating the female body and sexuality • Translating lesbianism • Censorship, sexuality, and translation This book will be relevant to postgraduate students and researchers of translation studies. It will also interest academics interested in feminism, gender studies and Chinese literature and culture. Zhongli Yu is Assistant Professor of Translation Studies at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC). Routledge Advances in Translation Studies 1 Applying Luhmann to Translation Studies Translation in Society Sergey Tyulenev 2 Interpreting Justice Ethics, Politics and Language Moira Inghilleri 3 Translation and Web Searching Vanessa Enríquez Raído 4 Translation Theory and Development Studies A Complexity Theory Approach Kobus Marais 5 Perspectives on Literature and Translation Creation, Circulation, Reception Edited by Brian Nelson and Brigid Maher 6 Translation and Localisation in Video Games Making Entertainment Software Global Miguel Á. Bernal-Merino 7 Translation and Linguistic Hybridity Constructing World-View Susanne Klinger 8 The Dao of Translation An East–West Dialogue Douglas Robinson 9 Translating Feminism in China Gender, Sexuality and Censorship Zhongli Yu 10 Multiple Translation Communities in Contemporary Japan Edited by Beverley Curran, Nana Sato-Rossberg, and Kikuko Tanabe Translating Feminism in China Gender, sexuality and censorship Zhongli Yu First published 2015 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2015 Zhongli Yu The right of Zhongli Yu to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Yu, Zhongli. Translating feminism in China : gender, sexuality and censorship / Zhongli Yu. pages cm. – (Routledge Advances in Translation Studies) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Translating and interpreting–China. 2. Gender identity–China. 3. Feminism–China. I. Title. P306.8.C6Y8 2015 418′.03305–dc23 2014043522 ISBN: 978-1-138-80431-9 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-75309-6 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781315753096 Contents List of tables viii Acknowledgements ix List of abbreviations x 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Gender, feminism, and translation: Key terms and concepts 2 1.2 TSS and TVM: Gender, sexuality, and censorship 8 1.3 Overview of chapters 11 1.4 Examples, back-translations, strategy terms, and Chinese names and sources 13 Notes 15 Bibliography 15 2 Feminist translation: Practice, theory, and studies 20 2.1 Feminist approaches to translation 21 2.1.1 Feminist translation strategies: Flotow’s summary 21 2.1.2 Feminist translation strategies: Massardier-Kenny’s redefi nition 22 2.1.3 Feminist translation strategies: Maier’s outline 23 2.1.4 Feminist translation strategies: Wallmach’s analysis 25 2.2 Feminist translation studies: Within and outside China 27 2.2.1 Feminist translation studies outside China 28 2.2.1.1 Feminist translation studies in the 1980s 29 2.2.1.2 Feminist translation studies in the 1990s 29 2.2.1.3 Feminist translation studies in the twenty-fi rst century 31 2.2.1.4 Sexuality in translation studies 33 2.2.2 Feminist translation studies within China 34 2.2.2.1 Emergence of feminist translation studies in the 1990s 37 2.2.2.2 Development of feminist translation studies in the twenty-fi rst century 38 Notes 45 Bibliography 45 vi Contents 3 Contextualising the Chinese translations of The Second Sex and The Vagina Monologues 59 3.1 Le Deuxième Sexe and The Second Sex 59 3.2 Chinese translations of The Second Sex 64 3.3 The Vagina Monologues 68 3.4 Chinese translations of The Vagina Monologues 71 Notes 76 Bibliography 77 4 Translating the female body and female sexuality in The Second Sex 83 4.1 Translating the female body 84 4.1.1 Women’s physical appearance 84 4.1.2 Women’s psychology of their bodies 91 4.2 Translating female sexuality 96 4.3 Summary 103 Notes 104 Bibliography 104 5 Translating the female body and female sexuality in The Vagina Monologues 106 5.1 Translating ‘vagina’ 106 5.2 Translating sexual violence 119 5.3 Translating misogyny 124 5.4 Summary 128 Bibliography 129 6 Translating lesbianism in The Second Sex and The Vagina Monologues 132 6.1 Lesbianism in the Chinese translations of The Second Sex 133 6.2 Lesbianism in the Chinese translations of The Vagina Monologues 141 6.2.1 ‘The vagina workshop’ 142 6.2.2 ‘The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could’ 146 6.2.3 ‘The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy’ 150 6.3 Summary 153 Note 154 Bibliography 154 Contents vii 7 Censorship, sexuality, and translation 158 7.1 Censorship, translation, and translation publishing 158 7.2 Translation publishing from 1980 to 2009 162 7.2.1 Revival and fluctuation from 1980 to 1989 163 7.2.2 Depression and reformation from 1990 to 1999 166 7.2.3 Market-oriented development from 2000 to 2009 167 7.3 Censorship of sexuality and the Chinese translations of The Second Sex 167 7.4 Censorship of sexuality, and the Chinese translations of The Vagina Monologues 172 7.5 Summary 178 Notes 179 Bibliography 180 8 Conclusion: Gender, feminism, and translation studies 185 8.1 Gender, translation strategies, and translation effects 185 8.2 Female/male: Essentialism? 188 8.3 Feminist translation studies: Where are we going? 190 Bibliography 193 Index 196 List of tables 2.1 Number of dissertations on women/gender/feminism and translation (2004–2014) 36 2.2 Number of journal articles on women/gender/feminism and translation (1996–2014) 36 4.1 Number of times the strategies are used (TSS, Examples 1–16, 24 cases) 103 5.1 Number of times the strategies are used (TVM, Examples 1–14, 18 cases) 128 6.1 Number of times the strategies are used (TSS, Examples 1–11, 14 cases) 153 6.2 Number of times the strategies are used (TVM, Examples 12–18, 9 cases) 154 Acknowledgements I am grateful to the University of Manchester and the University of Nottingham Ningbo China for the funding that enabled me to conduct this research and present it at international conferences. Special thanks go to Dr James St André for suggesting that I study translations of The Second Sex and Dr S¸ebnem Susam-Sarajeva for encouraging me to study translations of The Vagina Monologues. I am grateful to Dr James St André, Dr Chen Jianbo, Professor Margaret Littler, Dr Wei-hsin Lin, and Dr Keekok Lee for their repeated reading and proofreading, invaluable and insightful feedback and advice, continual encouragement, and help when diffi culties arose. Thanks go to other CTIS staff and colleagues at the University of Manchester for their comments on my research. In particular, I am grateful to Professor Mona Baker for her help, advice and encouragement throughout this research, especially at the revision stage. Thanks go to IC colleagues at the University of Nottingham for sharing my work when I was on academic leave for this book. I am especially grateful to the Dean of Education and Humanity Professor Fintan Cullen and the Head of School of International Communications Professor Adam Knee for their kind help in creating favorable conditions for my research leave. Thanks go to Dr Cosima Bruno, Dr David Laven, and the blind reviewers for their critical comments and suggestions for revision. Thanks go to all those who gave me feedback on my presentations at international conferences. Particularly, I am grateful to Professor Sherry Simon and Professor G. C. Spivak for their positive responses at the 2013 Nida School of Translation Studies in Italy. A special word of thanks also to Christina Low, Aletheia Heah, Yuvaneswari Yogaraja, and other editorial staff at Routledge for their contribution to the publication of this book. Last but not the least, I must thank my family and friends who have supported or helped me over the past few years in various ways so that I can enjoy and accomplish my research in the UK and complete revision of my manuscript in Ningbo. I am most grateful to my husband and parents for their love, inspiration and support. YU Zhongli September 2014 List of abbreviations Ai: Ai Xiaoming; in the examples, translation by Ai Xiaoming and her students Chen: Chen Cangduo; in the examples, translation by Chen Cangduo LDS: Le Deuxième Sexe Li: Li Qiang; in the examples, translation by Li Qiang S/N: Sang Zhuying and Nan Shan; in the examples, translation by Sang Zhuying and Nan Shan ST: source text Tao: Tao Tiezhu; in the examples, translation by Tao Tiezhu TSS: The Second Sex TT: target text TVM: The Vagina Monologues W/Q: Wang Youqin and Qiu Xichun, et al.; in the examples, translation by Wang Youqin and Qiu Xichun, et al.