In scenic-spot introductions, translators and tourists play the major roles. It is impossible to make any requirements of tourists or potential tourists, since they may come from all over the world, with different education; so translators become the ones to be qualified. Modem translation theorists believe that a professional translator has access to five distinct kinds of knowledge: target language knowledge; text-type knowledge; source language knowledge; subject-related knowledge; and contrastive knowledge. As far as the aesthetic subject concerned, the aesthetic competence of the translators can be aroused by subjective dynamics and be restricted by conditionality. In the following, we will have a detailed discussion of these two parts.
1.1Subjective Dynamics of Aesthetic Subject
Translators are to perceive and appreciate the beauty in the source text and to recreate the aesthetic information. In order to make sure the translation aesthetic representation to gain a more satisfying effect, the translator needs to possess some basic qualifications, Nida requires that the translator “must understand not only the obvious content of the message, but also the subtleties of meaning, the significant emotive values of words and the stylistic features which determine the feel of the message”(1964: 150). As the aesthetic subject, a qualified translator needs to possess aesthetic knowledge, aesthetic awareness and aesthetic experience.
1.1.1The Aesthetic Knowledge
A successful translation work is always based on the translator’s plentiful knowledge and capability. To be more precise, translators need the aesthetic knowledge of both source language and target language, which are the most fundamental prerequisite to ensure translators5 accurate comprehension and faithful renderings. Only in possession of aesthetic knowledge, translators can begin the work of aesthetic judgment; and “a perfect understanding would involve not only an accurate direction of thought, a correct evocation of feeling, an exact apprehension of tone and a precise recognition of intention, but further it would get these contributory meanings in their right order”(Richards 1929:332). The aesthetic knowledge basically includes the good command of both language and culture, because "no language can exist unless it is steeped in the context of culture; and no culture can exist which does not have at its center, the structure of natural language”(Sapir 1956:69) Therefore, a qualified translator should be not only bilingual, but also bicultural. Specifically, a competent translator of scenic-spot introduction ought to have a good master of tourism language and tourism culture.
1.1.2 The Aesthetic Awareness
The aesthetic awareness is the perception of beauty and sensitivity to beauty, which usually starts from intuition. If the translator is well qualified culturally, his perception and sensibility may develop in a rational way and get sublimed. Only then can we say that this aesthetic subject has high-level aesthetic eva luations, he can tap his aesthetic awareness in the optimal dynamic way and hence well perform his aesthetic functions in the practice of aesthetic translation.
For example, Chinese people are quite familiar with the saying “桂林山水甲天下” which means the natural scenery of Guilin is the best in the world. Anyhow, this explanation is quite common, far from being impressive. Translators try to find a better translation by bringing aesthetic awareness into play. As a result, a wonderful translation as “East or west, Guilin Landscape is best!” comes into existence by imitating an English proverb “East or west, home is best.” Obviously, the aesthetic awareness of translators functions as the propulsive power in process, and these awareness can be obtained from the accumulation of aesthetic experience.
1.1.3 The Aesthetic Experience
The aesthetic subject can develop aesthetic perceptions in a series of repeated aesthetic activities. Just like the saying goes, 'practice makes perfect”, an experienced aesthetic subject can perform his aesthetic functions comparatively well and tap his potential to its full. An aesthetic subject with little aesthetic experience may have faint aesthetic awareness even though he is translating a beautiful prose, and can‘t perform his aesthetic functions effectively. The aesthetic experience can be acquired through aesthetic practice, so how to conduct aesthetic practice is a crucial matter that helps the aesthetic subject to fulfill his aesthetic awareness, to perform his aesthetic functions well and to realize the effective aesthetic reproduction. For example, when dealing with cultural blanks and cultural conflicts, an experienced translator would adopt different tactics as cultural borrowing, cultural substitution, or cultural transplantation to solve the problem calmly, while a translator of little experience would be in a rush for reference books everywhere.