Any attempt to write or rewrite about the relations between cultures or civilizations must wrestle with the concept of alterity.The theory of alterity,rooted in the Latin word"alter",which means"the other of the two",has significantly energized the revival of World Literature as a disciplinary force in literary studies.Alterity,which helps us understand intercultural exchanges,is crucial in various humanities theories.Alterity thrives in translation,which inherently seeks otherness by turning one sign into another across linguistic contexts.Translation mediates between sameness and difference,with the translator responsible for presenting alterity.This involves debates on domestication versus foreignization and the construction of alterity as a new semiotic sign.Jacques Derrida and Walter Benjamin offer differing views on translation.Derrida sees translation as an unwieldy process,skeptical of a clear and total meaning transference,while Benjamin views it as a continuation of the original,emphasizing its"afterlife".In contrast,modern Chinese translation theory,influenced by Yan Fu and Lin Shu,often emphasizes fluency and elegance,sometimes suppressing the foreignness of the original text.Lawrence Venuti critiques this"translator's invisibility",where the translator's effort to create transparency conceals the foreignness of the text.Venuti's insights have shifted translation studies towards viewing translation as a cultural product rooted in its social,historical,and political contexts.This shift has led to the"cultural turn"in translation studies,advocated by scholars like Susan Bassnett and Andre Lefevere.They argue that translation should focus on its cultural context rather than just linguistic transference.Translation is central to World Literature,as it embodies alterity in both theory and practice.For World Literature to remain vibrant,translation must move beyond traditional theories of equivalence,which often equates with sameness.Instead,equivalence should be seen as a dialectic between signs and structures,allowing for the doubling performance of translation as both text and textuality.David Damrosch's concept of"double refraction"highlights how translation enables new understandings through the interplay of different cultural and textual elements.It should be noted that even though translation plays a crucial role in establishing World Literature and enabling intercultural readings,its benefits are not always clear or measurable.Goethe's experiences of"inventing World Literature"highlight that reading is influenced by cultural positions and values.The driving force behind today's"World Literature Fever"is no longer any totalizing ideas like Eurocentrism,but rather a comprehensive promotion of alterity.In this regard,as the textual foundation of World Literature,translation should not be a slave to"equivalence theory,"but rather a dynamic exchange of alterity,thereby seeking a permanent dialogue on homogeneity and heterogeneity between different cultures or civilizations.
World LiteratureTranslationAlterityTextualityWorlding
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