Translation as intervention: Wu Mi’s translation of William Thackeray’s novels

Abstract

ABSTRACT Wu Mi, a notable scholar and translator in early 20th-century China, possessed a profound knowledge of Western literature and culture. While there has been extensive research on his conservative views and cultural propositions, his translation agenda has received limited attention. The paper employs Theo Hermans’ theoretical framework of translation as intervention to analyse Wu Mi’s translation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s novels. Through a tactical reading of his translation, the paper argues that Wu Mi utilised translation to modernise Chinese literature, and it further identifies three levels of intervention within the terrain of the New Culture Movement, especially focusing on the themes of modern Chinese fiction, its proper form, and the most effective approach to localising Western literature and modernising Chinese literature. The case study sheds light on the contributions of cultural conservatives to the Chinese modernisation program and invites reflection on the interplay between tradition and modernity, as well as dynamics between local legacy and global influences.