Translator’s Subjectification in Chinese Translations of Ulysses from the Perspective of Paratexts

Literary translation, as a general and typical translation activity, is a process with long term, high dynamic, and incessant updates, which reflects the translator’s subjectivity revealed from the translator’s subjectification in the becoming of literary translation. With the help of paratexts, the translator plays a pivotal part in three phases of translation activity. Taking three Chinese translations of Ulysses as an example, translators firstly lead readers to make an initial impression of the novel in prefaces, and then they tend to take annotations so as to enrich the textual connotations and unveil the literary and cultural implications. In the last period, the translators devoted themselves to interviews or memoirs, extending the academic range and expanding the public reputation. These three types of paratexts corresponding to three translation phases help us analyze the issue of translators’ functions and their roles in the context of translated culture.