By taking Eileen Chang's two Chinese-English self-translated novels as examples, this paper analyzes the construction effect that employment of amplification and omission has on the asymmetrical power relationships from four aspects of critical discourse analysis: classification system, transitivity system, modality system and transformation system. The conclusion is that the author-translator's adoption of amplification and omission serves for the construction of asymmetrical power

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... s, which has negative influence on cultural communication based upon equality between the west and the east. Index Terms-Eileen Chang, Chinese-English self-translation, amplification and omission, critical discourse analysis Eileen Chang was a legendary writer in Chinese literature history in 20th century but few people know that she is also an excellent translator. She has translated many English novels including Hemingway's The Old man and The Sea and some of her own works. In recent years, the research on Eileen Chang is very hot whereas the research on her translation, especially on her self-translation is limited. It is easy for us to take for granted that it should be the most faithful that the author translates his/her own works. Actually it is strange that while translating her own novels, Eileen Chang always employed two translation techniques, amplification and omission. Translation is a process of conflict, collision and violence between one culture and another in the aspect of ideology, cultural traditions. It's reflects powers. At the same time translation participates in the construction of power. Translation has become an accomplice to sustain the asymmetrical power relationships among various cultures. In this paper, taking Eileen Chang's two Chinese-English self-translated novels Shame Amah! and Naked Earth as examples, the effect that the employment of amplification and omission has on the asymmetrical power relationships will be analyzed according to four dimensions of critical discourse analysis which stresses the invisible embodiment of power and ideology in text.