Translation As Actor-Networking : Actors, Agencies, and Networks in the Making of Arthur Waley’s English Translation of the Chinese 'Journey to the West'

This book employs principles from actor-network theory (ANT) to explore the making of the English translation of a work of Chinese canonical fiction, Journey to the West, demonstrating how ANT, as applied to translation studies, can contribute to a richer understanding of the translation process.// The volume builds on previous research to apply ANT theory to translation studies by looking in-depth at a single work, highlighting the unique factors underpinning the making of Monkey, Arthur Waley's English translation of the Chinese classic Journey to the West, which make the work an ideal candidate for showing ANT theory in practice in translation. Luo uses an in-depth exploration of the work to examine the ways in which both human and nonhuman translation actors and agents interact in different ways in the publication of this translation, showcasing them as dynamic, changing, and active participants whose roles shifted over the course of the translation process, rather than as fixed entities as traditionally categorized in existing research. The book moves beyond a descriptive account of an ANT-based case study toward offering a systematic theoretical and methodological framework of ANT-based translation studies, using the conclusions drawn from its application to a single work to suggest a way forward for applying ANT in translation production on a wider scale.// This book will be of interest to scholars in translation studies, sociology, and comparative literature, particularly those interested in actor-network theory or network studies and their application to related disciplinary fields"-- Provided by publisher This book employs actor-network theory (ANT) to explore the making of the English translation of a work of Chinese canonical fiction, Journey to the West, demonstrating how ANT, as applied to Translation Studies, can contribute to a richer understanding of the translation process. The volume builds on previous research to apply ANT to Translation Studies by looking in-depth at a single work, highlighting the unique factors underpinning the making of Monkey, Arthur Waley’s English translation of the Chinese classic Journey to the West, which make the work an ideal candidate for showing ANT in practice in translation. Luo uses an in-depth exploration of the work to examine the ways in which both human and nonhuman translation actors and agents interact in different ways in the publication of this translation, showcasing them as dynamic, changing, and active participants whose roles shifted over the course of the translation process, rather than as fixed entities as traditionally categorized in existing research. The book moves beyond a descriptive account of an ANT-based case study toward offering a systematic theoretical and methodological framework of ANT-based Translation Studies, using the conclusions drawn from its application to a single work to suggest a way forward for applying ANT in translation production on a wider scale. This book will be of interest to scholars in Translation Studies, sociology, and comparative literature, particularly those interested in actor-network theory or network studies and their application to related disciplinary fields. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication Page 6 Contents 8 List of Figures 11 List of Tables 12 List of Abbreviations 13 Acknowledgements 14 Introduction 16 1 Actor-Network Theory 23 1.1 Basic Clarifications of the Name and Nature of Actor-Network Theory 24 1.2 Nonhuman Actor 29 1.3 Long Distance Control 33 1.4 The Black Box 36 1.5 TranslationANT 38 1.6 Obligatory Passage Point 47 1.7 Immutable Mobiles, Inscriptions, and Centres of Calculation 48 2 Research Context 51 2.1 Journey to the West: The Novel 51 2.2 The Many English Translations of Journey to the West 54 2.3 Monkey Translated by Waley: Focus of the Present Study 59 2.4 Monkey: A Unique Translation of Popularity and Fame 61 2.5 Positioning the Research: From Literature to the Present Study 64 2.6 Approaches to Data Selection and Analysis 73 3 The Monkey Project: A Translation in Production 77 3.1 The Monkey Project: A Translation Under Production (1941–1942) 82 3.2 The Monkey Project: From Slow to Accelerated Expansion 94 4 All About People: Multiple Human Actors, Multiplied Roles 105 4.0 Prelude: More Actors, but Not Overwhelmingly More 105 4.1 Arthur Waley: More Than the Translator of Monkey 108 4.2 Duncan Grant: The Designer Being Controlled and Resisted 126 4.3 Stanley Unwin: The Publisher as an Evaluator, Initiator, Project Manager, and Literary Agent 134 5 All About Resources: Multiple Nonhuman Actors, Multiple Trials and Traces 139 5.0 Prelude: Nonhumans or Nonhuman Actors 139 5.1 Amidst the War and Flu, We Need Luck 143 5.2 The Things ANT Researchers Can Deduce From Texts 154 5.3 Letters: Making Everyone and Everything Mobile and Immutable 164 6 The TranslationsANT That Comprise the Translation Project 178 6.0 Prelude: Grouping the TranslationsANT 178 6.1 TranslationANT One (T1ANT): TranslatingANT Journey to the West Into Monkey 181 6.2 TranslationANT Two (T2ANT): The Initiation of the Monkey Project 184 6.3 TranslationANT Three (T3ANT): The Designs 190 6.4 TranslationANT Four (T4ANT): Previous Terms Transformed Into a New Agreement 195 6.5 TranslationANT Five (T5ANT): The Jacket Proofs Agreement 197 6.6 TranslationANT Six (T6ANT): Producing Advertisements and Book Reviews 203 6.7 TranslationANT Seven (T7ANT): Monkey’s Journey to the US 205 6.8 More TranslationsANT 212 Conclusion 217 Bibliography 236 Appendix I: Versions of Journey to the West, Based on Cao (2010) 248 Appendix II: The Phases of the Monkey Project 249 Appendix III: Letter From Stanley Unwin to Arthur Waley, 22 October 1941 (UoR AUC 127/7) 251 Appendix IV: Letter From David Unwin to Duncan Grant, 6 January 1942 (UoR AUC 138/5) 252 Appendix V: Letter From Stanley Unwin to Arthur Waley, 8 September 1943 (UoR AUC 181/1) 253 Appendix VI: Letter From Stanley Unwin to Arthur Waley, 21 September 1943 (UoR AUC 181/1) 254 Appendix VII: Letter From Arthur Waley to Stanley Unwin, 22 December 1943 (UoR AUC 181/1) 255 Appendix VIII: Jacket Page of Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China (Seventh Impression, 1965), Designed by Duncan Grant 256 Index 258 Obligatory,Passage,Point;,Overwhelmingly,More;,Folk-Tale,of,China;,Duncan,Grant Obligatory Passage Point,Overwhelmingly More,Folk-Tale of China,Duncan Grant