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202270081682 周晓兰 Zhou Xiaolan 英语笔译(English translation)

On the English Translation of the Analects of Confucius and Its Communication Effect

Zhou Xiaolan, 202270081682

Abstract

The translation of the Analects of Confucius, which is the embodiment of Confucian ideas, aims to disseminate traditional Chinese thought and profound Chinese culture, and promote communication and exchanges between different cultures in the world. In recent years, China's "going out" policy has become an important window for China to enhance its international communication capacity and highlight its cultural influence. As one of the important ways for Chinese culture to go global, Chinese classics translation has become an essential part of cultural exchanges between China and the West. As a symbol of the dissemination of Chinese classics, the Analects of Confucius, rooted in traditional philosophy, serves as a powerful tool to spread Chinese wisdom to the world. Therefore, on the basis of introducing the Analects of Confucius and its English translation, this paper is a systematic literature review, taking into account the most often cited and most recent papers in English and Chinese.

Key Words

English Translation of the Analects of Confucius; Chinese Classics Translation; Communication Effect; China's "Going out" Policy; Cultural Identity

摘要

《论语》是反映中国古代儒家思想的经典之作，其翻译目的是传播中国传统思想和博大文化，促进世界不同文化之间的沟通和交流。《论语》在西方世界的传播历史也是中西文化交流历史的见证。近年来，中国文化走出去已然成为我国提升国际传播能力，彰显文化影响力的重要窗口。作为中国文化走出去的重要形式，中国文化典籍的译介成为中西方文化交流的重要内容。作为中国文化典籍的代表之作，《论语》根植于传统哲学思想，是传播中国智慧的有力工具。因此，本文在介绍《论语》及其英译状况的基础上，选取引用较多及较新的相关中英文文献，对《论语》的英译研究及传播效果进行系统综述。

关键词

《论语》英译；中华典籍外译；传播效果；中国文化走出去；文化身份

Introduction

Culture is crucial for a nation because it affects not only the mindset of the nation, but also the thought and behavior of every member of the nation. In the process of cross-cultural communication, it is of great practical significance to fully understand the roots, inheritance and development of different cultures (Miao Ruixue, 2022). As an important carrier for the inheritance and development of Chinese culture, Chinese classics embody the essence of China's splendid culture for more than 5, 000 years and present the values in Chinese traditional culture. Chinese classics translation is an important part of the dissemination of Chinese culture and one of the important methods to improve China's international communication capacity (Wang Yuan, 2022).

As an important component of Chinese classics, the Analects of Confucius has exerted profound influences on Chinese civilization. Compiled by Confucius and his disciples, the Analects of Confucius is a collection of aphorisms and historical anecdotes, embodying the basic values of the Confucian tradition: learning, morality, ritual decorum, and filial piety. Along with other intellectual achievements that have been generated in the formulation and development of the Chinese nation, the Analects of Confucius records the Chinese nation's spiritual activities, rational thinking and cultural achievements in building their homeland, reflects spiritual pursuits of the Chinese nation, and provides a key source of nutrition for the survival and continuous growth of our nation. At the opening ceremony of the International Conference in Commemoration of the 2,565th Anniversary of Confucius' Birth and the fifth Congress of the International Confucian Association, President Xi Jinping said that studying Confucius and Confucianism is an important approach to understanding the national characteristics of the Chinese as well as the historical roots of the spiritual world of the present-day Chinese. The translation of the Analects of Confucius, which is the embodiment of Confucian ideas, aims to disseminate traditional Chinese thought and profound Chinese culture, and promote communication and exchanges between different cultures in the world.

In recent years, China's "going out" policy has become an important window for China to enhance its international communication capacity and highlight its cultural influence. As a symbol of the dissemination of Chinese classics, the Analects of Confucius, rooted in traditional philosophy, serves as a powerful tool to spread Chinese wisdom to the world. The translation of the Analects of Confucius followed the mission, trade, and foreign expansion of Western countries. Western missionaries who came to China at the end of the 16th century were the first to translate the Analects into Latin, and the Latin translation was later translated into English and French. With the deepening of cross-cultural communication, the Chinese wisdom in the Analects of Confucius has been noticed by the world. As the essence of Chinese thought, the Analects of Confucius has exerted significant influence not only on the thoughts and culture of Chinese nations, but also on world civilization. In recent years, more importance has been attached to the translation of Chinese classics and their translation studies due to the rising attention on Chinese culture and the enhancement of China's international status. It is also true of the research on the English translation of the Analects of Confucius (Xu Suxian, 2022). Therefore, on the basis of introducing the Analects of Confucius and its English translation, this paper is a systematic literature review of studies on the English translation of the Analects of Confucius, taking into account the most often cited and most recent papers in English and Chinese.

A Review of Previous Studies on the English Translation and Communication Effect of the Analects of Confucius at Home and Abroad

There are many studies on the English translation and communication effect of the Analects of Confucius at home and abroad. In this paper, the author searched published papers with the keywords of English translation of the Analects of Confucius, Chinese classics translation, communication effect of the Analects of Confucius and divided these studies into four groups according to their research perspectives including comparative research of different translation versions, studies on keyword translation, studies on translator's subjectivity and translation strategy, studies on the English translation of the Analects of Confucius from the perspective of communication. In this part, a brief history of English translation of the Analects of Confucius and its communication effect will be introduced first. Then, the four groups of previous studies will be presented.

A Brief Introduction to the History of English Translation of the Analects of Confucius

According to the cultural identity of the translators, this paper divides the history of the English translation of the Analects of Confucius into three periods. During the beginning period, English translation and dissemination of the Analects of Confucius was mostly completed by missionaries. In the West, the English translation of the Analects was initiated by the Jesuits. The earliest translation of the Analects was Matteo Ricci's Latin translation in 1594, which became the elementary textbook for the Jesuits to study Chinese at that time. In 1687, the Belgian missionary Philippe Couplet published a Latin version of Confucius Sinarum Philosophus in Paris, and in 1691, the book was translated into English and published in London under the title The Morals of Confucius, A Chinese Philosopher. However, it is not strictly an English translation of the Analects of Confucius. From 1809 to 1910, Protestant missionaries began translating the Analects and spreading Confucianism to the West. Representative figures include Marshman, Rev. David Collie, James Legge, and William Edward Soothill.

In 1809, a stanza translation of the Analects by English Baptist missionary Marshman was published, the first English translation directly from the Chinese version. Rev. David Collie completed the translation of the Four Books in 1827, and his translation has become an important text for the western academic circle to study Chinese Confucianism. Rev. David Collie believed that the primary purpose of translating the Four Books into English is to improve Westerners' learning of Chinese knowledge. James Legge was the first one who had studied the Confucius classics systematically and who used "Analects" as the title of the English translation. One of the characteristics of Legge's translation is that he translated alomost literally, with the original text attached (Zhao Chao, 2021). Like other missionaries who translated Chinese classics, Legge wanted, through his translation, more missionaries to master the Chinese classics and learn about the morals, values and basic thoughts established by the ancient Chinese sages, thus to accomplish their mission to convey the voice of God. William Edward Soothill completed a new translation of the Analects in 1906. Having had an in-depth study of Confucianism, he believed that the wisdom of ancient Chinese thought was a reflection on the truth and a precious heritage of human culture.

During the development period, English translation and dissemination of the Analects of Confucius was attributed to Britain and American sinologists and Chinese translators.

One of the characteristics of the English translation in this period is that the identities of the translators are multiple. The translators include Chinese translators, sinologist translators such as Lionel Giles, and some translators from the religious circle, such as Allen Upward and William Edward Soothill. In 1898, two Chinese, Ku Hung-ming and Ma Yutong, joined the translators of the Analects of Confucius, which broke the discourse hegemony of western missionaries and made a sound of Chinese people’s own interpretation of the Analects of Confucius to the world. Ku Hung-ming believed that missionaries represented by Legge have misinterpreted the Confucian classics, leading to misunderstanding and prejudice against Chinese civilization in the West. He firmly held the view that Chinese traditional culture can save China and the West. And he attempted to disseminate Chinese classics to the world through translation. In 1979, another Chinese scholar D.C. Lau’s translation of the Analects was published in New York. His translation is fluent and readable, conveying Chinese ideas subtly and accurately, and have become classics for understanding Chinese culture. Many sinologists have also devoted themselves to the translation of the Analects in this period. In 1907, the British sinologist Lionel Giles was the first Western scholar to translate the Analects into English. H.G. Creel was a pioneer in the field of Sinology in the United States and one of the few sinologists in the United States with a high level of knowledge of ancient Chinese, who emphasized the understanding of Chinese culture through ancient Chinese. Harvard Professor James R. Ware's translation of the Analects, published in 1950, was the first fully translated offprint of the Analects by a native translator in the United States. In the 90s of the 20th century, with the rapid development of China, academic circles at home and abroad showed a stronger desire to study Chinese classics. Translations of the Analects have exploded, with several English translations published in 1990-2000.

Another noteworthy characteristic is that three influential figures in academic and intellectual circles published their translations of the Analects before the second world war. They are the famous poet of imagism, Ezra Pound(1937), Arthur Waley (1938), who gained his fame by translating ancient Chinese poems, and Lin Yuntang (1938), who is famous as one of the masters of the Chinese culture. Their translations of the Analects represent their identities respectively. Pound, who had experienced two world wars, lost faith in Christian civilization, believing that Confucianism was superior to Christianity, and that Chinese culture was rich in wisdom and could heal the devastated Western society (Zhao Chao, 2021).

In the new era, English translation and dissemination of the Analects of Confucius was presented in an innovative model. In this article, new era refers to the period from 2000 to the present. The translation and dissemination of the Analects in the new era is characterized by an innovative mode of multi-path and multi-modal, which is specifically manifested in national policy support, innovation of operation mechanisms and incentive measures, and improvement of communication effects (Fan Min, 2019). The prominent feature of this period is that most of the translators are Chinese. Among them, some are famous translators such as Ding Wangdao and Xu Yuanchong, some are overseas Chinese such as Huang Jizhong, Adam Sia and David H. Li. What's more, some publishing houses in China also joined the publishing of translations of the Chinese classics, including the Analects. And some publishig houses incorporated the classics translation of the Analects in their book series (Zhao Chao, 2021). During this period, some foreign translators, most of whom are American sinologists also devoted themselves to the study of Confucianism and published their translations of the Analects. After the year of 2000, the English translations of the Analects completed by domestic and foreign translators include the translations of Edward Gilman Slingerland (2003), Xu Yuanchong (2005), Liu Weijian (2005), Pan Fuen & Wen Shaoxia (2005), Jin Peilin & Li Yasi (2006), Wu Guozhen (2012), Brian Bruya (2013), Annping Chin (2014), Shi Zhikang (2019), etc. In the past 20 years, there have been a large number of English translations of the Analects, and each has its own characteristics.

Previous Studies on Comparative Research of Different Translation Versions

Through the search on the English translation of the Analects of Confucius as its title, it can be concluded that comparative research is an important aspect of relevant researches.

Michael Nylan surveyed the work of two aesthetes, Arthur Waley and Li Zehou, whose influential translations of the Analects of Confucius ascribed to Confucius have shaped approaches to the subject of myth, ritual, early history and religion for Anglophone and Sinophone readers. Michael Nylan argued that both read into the Analects a powerful "civilizing" message, premised on huge disparities between East and West, ancient and modern (Michael Nylan, 2013).

Yu Juan applied readability theory into translations of the Analects of Confucius in Chinese and English versions. With the application of readability formulas, Yu explained the readability statistics in two ways: the Flesch reading ease score and other Reading Level index. The two translated texts were compared in terms of four aspects: word numbers, lexical density, sentence numbers and average sentence length so as to find out the different degree of simplification in the translations. The findings showed that the readability of Roger Ames's translated texts is higher than James Legge's; hence is much more difficult to read. The simplification degree is in accordance with the readability result, which indicates that readability analysis results can be referenced for studying translation features like simplification (Yu Juan, 2014).

Through the methods of analyzing and comparing the cases in English versions of the Analects by Ku Hung-ming, James Legge and Wu Guozhen, Xiaojuan Peng summarized all process elements involved into the thinking path of translating Chinese Classics into English from general macro angle, in the supplementary sublimation of translation integrants from Partial Translation Theory by Holmes. That naturally deduces and extracts the possible existed interactive relationship among translators, source language, target language and the recipients. And Peng proposed universal applied thinking path schema of English translation for Chinese Classics in order to be referred for translation education, practices and studies (Xiaojuan Peng, 2018).

Fan Min attempted to explore how the ideological factors influence the cultural transmission of Confucianism through a comparative analysis of the translation of the key concepts in the five versions by James Legge and Ku Hung-ming, Lau, Ames & Rosemont, and Slingerland from the ideological perspective. Through comparison, Fan concluded that the translation and communication of the Analects is understood not only as a system of translator, translation process, translation strategy and English readers, but also as an interactive process between translation, communication and society, as well as a process closely related to culture, power, ideology and social life. (Fan Min, 2019).

Taking the two classic translations of the Analects of Confucius by Ku Hung-ming and Arthur Wiley as corpus, Lv Pengfei & Chen Daosheng adopted the qualitative and quantitative research method and the Analytic Hierarchy Process to compare the similarity and individuality of the translation style of the two versions according to the three levels of word, sentence, and discourse. And they believed that the differences between the two versions are related to non-linguistic factors such as the historical background and subjective initiative of the translator (Lv Pengfei & Chen Daosheng, 2021)

Previous Studies on the Translation of Keywords

Due to different cultural backgrounds and cross-cultural transformation from ancient Chinese to English, the translation of keywords plays a significant role in the translation of the Analects of Confucius and their successful translation serves as a key to understanding the core thoughts and social value in the Analects of Confucius at that time.

Zhang Zheng and Hu Wenxiao analyzed the translation of "Tian" and its enlightenment to the English translation of Chinese culture-loaded words. They probed into the cultural connotation of the word "Tian", compared and analyzed the translation of "Tian" in five translations with a focus on the translation of "Tian" as "God" by Ku Hung-ming and on the translation of "Tian" as "Heaven" by James Legge. Through the analysis from five aspects of the exact meaning, the difference between Chinese and Western philosophy, the terminological consistency, the reference to the previous translation, and culture communication, they proposed that "Tian" should be transliterated into "Tian" and annotations and explanations need to be added in certain contexts in order to be understood (Zhang Zheng & Hu Wenxiao, 2015).

Han Xing and Han Qiuyu compared the English translation of Junzi concept in Confucian culture in the Analects of Confucius by James Legge and Arthur Waley. Combining the implication and Confucian moral with the political culture in Junzi, they believed that from the etymological, translation and cultural perspective, the translation of "the superior" by James Legge can better reflect the connotation of Confucian culture (Han Xing & Han Qiuyu, 2016).

Cai Xinle explored the Chinese and English translation of "Wen" in the Analects of Confucius with the Dao of Yin and Yang as the methodology in the interpretation of "Ruism in terms of Ruism". He believed that the absence of the application of methodology at home in the field of the study of the translation of the Analects, going astray in trying to acquire ledge in light of reason, can get its antidote in the Ruist view that sees the process of interpretation also as that of self-cultivation, steps needed for "becoming-a-person". With the "glossing-over-the-mistakes" (文过) and "the self-cultivation by means of rites and music" (文之以礼乐) in the text as examples, he analyzed and shed light on the problem. It is suggested that the Dao of Yin and Yang, implicated in the internalization as started in such a perspective, as it is to be taken as the supreme principle in expounding the scripture, enables its interpreters to come into the course of life itself (Cai Xinle, 2017).

Using examples comparing the sages and exemplars that Confucius upholds in the Analects to iconic Western characters from movies, comics, and contemporary literature—like Harry Potter, the Avengers, and Lord of the Rings—Benjamin Machael Giaimo proposed a new American slang translation of the canonical Confucian text. He translated the term Junzi—the ideal Confucian gentleman at the center of the Analects who has internalized and embodies virtues like moral fortitude, politeness, love of learning, a sense of justice, and trustworthiness—as "superhero". The slang translation is a calculated effort to approximate the vernacular, colloquial context of the original Analects, something that it is lost in most academic and literary translations. Both the idea of Junzi as superhero and the slang help make this timeless text more contemporary and relevant to a young English-language audience while bringing back its fun and excitement, conveying the lively feeling of spirited Confucian discourse. In this manner, the context and life lessons become far more fun to read and easier to understand, and the timeless and timely wisdom of Confucius can have a positive influence extending to American youth today (Benjamin Machael Giaimo, 2020).

Dai Wei focused on the translation of "Tian", "Ming", "Gui", "Shen" in Confucius' religious view. Scholars' researches on key words mainly focus on the words "Ren", "Li" and "Junzi", and few scholars have sorted out the key words reflecting Confucius' religious thoughts. Starting from the four key words of "Tian", "Ming", "Gui", "Shen", which embody Confucius' religious thoughts, Dai analyzed the translation of these four key words by James Legge, Ku Hung-ming and Arthur Waley, compared the advantages and disadvantages of their translations, and discussed the appropriate translation methods, so as to promote Chinese culture to "go out" better (Dai Wei, 2022).

Previous Studies on the Translation Strategy

Translators are the major participants of translation activities and translation strategies they choose have great impacts on their translations which attract many scholars' attention.

Liu Baiyu, Hu Jun and Liu Xiaqing studied translation strategies of Chinese traditional cultural elements by taking the translation of a core word "Ren" in the Analects of Confucius. The Analects is regarded as a representative work of Chinese traditional culture and its translation is widely studied by Chinese and foreign scholars. "Ren" is not only the core word of the Analects, but also the central idea of Confucianism. By studying 5 translation strategies of cultural translation of the Analects, as well as collecting and analyzing 16 examples of the translation of "Ren", the authors pointed out that a "harmonious translation strategy" should be adopted for translating Chinese traditional cultural elements. And they put forward that whether the harmonious translation strategy of transliteration plus annotation is suitable for translation needs to be verified in translation practice (Liu Baiyu, Hu Jun, Liu Xiaqing, 2011).

Tu Guoyuan and Xu Lei probed into the translation strategies of Ku Hung-ming's discourses and sayings of Confucius from a metonymic perspective based on the revelation of national culture. Starting from the three aspects of "cultural adaptation", "cultural common core" and "cultural default", they examined the intentional rewriting in the translation of the Analects by Ku Hung-ming from the perspective of metonymy, focusing on the translation strategy adopted by translators to highlight national culture in specific social and historical contexts. Through analysis, they found that to help readers understand the original text, Ku Hung-ming selected equivalent words in the target language to translate culture-loaded words in the original text and that Ku Hung-ming interpreted Confucian culture with the help of Western culture, which not only avoids misunderstandings caused by cultural differences, but also leaves a distinct personal mark for the translation, which is also a clear proof of the translator's self-presentation. They believed Ku Hung-ming's cross-cultural awareness makes his translation a better illustration of Confucian culture(Tu Guoyuan & Xu Lei, 2012).

Based on Lefevere's theory of rewriting and Verschueren's theory of adaptation, Xu Jun and Xiao Haiyan compared Legge's and Waley's translations of the Analects of Confucius, explored the influence of ideology and poetics on the translation, and analyzed how translators make adaptive decisions in the manipulation of ideology and poetics. It is proved that the English translation of the Analects is the translators' initiative of rewriting the original work, which is a selective and adaptive process in the multi-layered context of the target language. The authors thought that the translation of classics should include both the manipulative factors and translators' initiative as well (Xu Jun and Xiao Haiyan, 2018).

Zhang Xiaoman and Sun Xiaolu focused on the dialogues in the homogenous context of the English translation of the Analects of Confucius by Ku Hung-ming. The authors believed that the English translation of the Analects of Confucius by Ku Hung-ming promotes the inter-subjective cyclic transformational dialogue relationship among the author, translator and reader, precisely under the connection of the "homogenous context". And they viewed Ku's translation as an good example to interpret Chinese culture (Zhang Xiaoman & Sun Xiaolu, 2022).

Previous Studies on the English Translation of the Analects of Confucius from the perspective of communication

It can be concluded that the comparative study of different versions of the Analects of Confucius, the translation of key words and translation strategies have always been the focus of domestic and foreign scholars. And with the deepening of cross-cultural communication, scholars began to analyze the English translation from communication.

Zhang Meng and Dong Yan studied the translation and dissemination of the Analects of Confucius in English-speaking countries. They first analyzed the translation strategies of various translators, and explored their translation purposes and guiding ideology. They found that the translation of the Analects of Confucius by Western missionaries presents a strong religious purpose, and the traditional Chinese culture in their translations is often distorted and deformed and that sinologists love Chinese culture, but their translations are influenced by the prejudice of Western centrism and the theory of Western cultural superiority and that Chinese translators at home and abroad have been committed to the authentic translation and dissemination of Confucian culture embodied in the Analects of Confucius, but the translation effect still has great room for improvement. In the end, the authors suggested that the English translation of the Analects of Confucius should be based on foreignization and supplemented by domestication, so as to study the receptive ability and psychology of English readers, and resolutely resist the various cultural controls from Western countries (Zhang Meng & Dong Yan, 2020).

To explore a way to promote the external communication of the translation of the Analects of Confucius, Zhang Xiaoman and Bian Zhenxiang put forward new frontiers of English translation of the Analects of Confucius: from cooperative translation to cross media translation. It can be concluded from the essay that after the epochal transformation from western centralism to multiculturalism, the English translation of Lunyu has changed from the Western sinologist's idea of "interpreting Confucianism by Jesuit" to the Chinese translator's insistence on the national cultural identity and the thinking on the proposition of the times. The authors held the view that translator cooperation plays an important role in the process of translating Lunyu into English, and the mode of cooperation, with Chinese translators as the main body, is an inevitable choice to enhance the image of the country and build the right of Chinese discourse, which is conducive to finding the commonness of cultural cognition in the cultural differences between China and the West. The multimodal translation of Lunyu is the integration of the intralingual translation of Chinese cultural classics, interlingual translation of western culture and the intersymbol translation between words and texts. It is an important means for Lunyu to gain the vitality of foreign countries and show the unique national cultural landscape of our country to the world in a new attitude. The external communication of the translation of Lunyu needs to find a way of communication that conforms to the cognitive law of the audience by means of science and technology. It can also take routes via electronics, networks, films, televisions and platforms and take advantage of the means of new media to build a dynamic multi-modal framework, and promote the popularization of the translation of Lunyu to more public readers (Zhang Xiaoman & Bian Zhenxiang, 2021).

Chu Changsheng and Gao Luyi studied the translator's subjectivity and the communication effect in the English translation of the Analects of Confucius. According to the cultural identity of the translators, the authors divided the history of the English translation of the Analects of Confucius into three periods, and analyzed the choices of translators with different cultural identities in different historical contexts and the communication effects of their translations, so as to discuss how to better promote Chinese classics translation in the new era (Chu Changsheng & Gao Luyi 2022).

To sum up, domestic and foreign researches on the English translation of the Analects of Confucius are mainly focused on the translation of keywords and translation strategies. And with the deepening of cross-cultural communication, the communication effect in the English translation of the Analects of Confucius has attracted much attention.

Conclusion

The history of English translation of the Analects of Confucius reflects the collision and integration of Eastern and Western cultures, and presents a shift from Western-centrism to cultural pluralism. The English translation of the Analects of Confucius is the crystallization of Sino-Western cooperation and exchange. The history of English translation of the Analects of Confucius is also a history of cultural exchange between China and the west. In this process, China and the west constantly absorb the excellent achievements of each other's cultures to inject vitality into their own cultures. The main translators of the Analects have undergone a transition from Western missionaries and sinologists to Chinese translators. In any period of time, translators at home and abroad have made great contributions in the process of English translation and dissemination of the Analects of Confucius. The communication mode of the Analects of Confucius has changed from text translation to today's diversified and multimodal translation methods which attract a wide range of readership. At the same time, Western readers' understanding of the Analects of Confucius is deepening with the continuous optimization of the translation. The English translation of the Analects of Confucius also arouses more people's interest in Confucianism, Chinese classics and Chinese culture in the West.

And on the basis of the review and analysis of the above literature, while affirming all the research results, we cannot ignore the problems and shortcomings in the study of English translation of the Analects, which are mainly manifested in the following aspects. Firstly, the researches on English translation of the Analects mostly focuses on translation comparison, translation strategy and keyword translation, which leads to the lack of new research perspectives. However, the new research perspectives are crucial to the innovative development of the study of the English Translation of the Analects and the improvement of the level of the translation. Secondly, most studies only involve the conversion of languages, but neglect the political, cultural, ideological and other factors that are more important than language in the translation of classical works. Especially for the Analects of Confucius, which combines philosophy and religion, the non-linguistic factors are more worthy of study. Thirdly, in recent years, although many scholars have begun to pay attention to the communication effect of the Analects, the translations they study are more for domestic readers than for foreign readers. At the same time, although the literature review shows the influence and research value of the Analects, in real life, the influence of the Analects on Western readers is extremely limited. Last but not least, Chinese classic translation has always been an important way for Chinese culture to go global. As a result, scholars pay more attention to how Chinese culture goes out, but ignore whether Chinese culture has really entered other countries.

Taking into account the shortcomings of the above studies, it is suggested that future studies of the English translation of the Analects can be carried out in four aspects to enhance its communication effect. The four aspects include target reader's reception of the text, the popularity of the translated text in foreign countries, the status of the translated text in foreign countries, and the influence of the translated text in foreign countries. The translation serves the readers, so only by carrying out research from the readers' perspective can Chinese culture truly enter the world stage.

In recent years, China's "going out" policy has become an important window for China to enhance its international communication capacity and highlight its cultural influence. As a symbol of the dissemination of Chinese classics, the Analects of Confucius, rooted in tranditional philosophy, serves as a powerful tool to spread Chinese wisdom to the world. In the new era, the cause of English translation of the Analects is in the ascendant, and contemporary translators should take up the torch of their predecessors and take the translation of the Analects of Confucius to a new height while taking into consideration translation methods, target readers, publishing institutions, and news media, so as to enhance the influence of China's discourse, disseminate Chinese classics, and improve China's image. At the same time, scholars should also continue to break through the original boundaries, and continue to carry out more in-depth and more systematic research from a new perspective to enhance the communication effect of the English translation of the Analects of Confucius.

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202270081627 陈婧 Chen Jing 英语笔译(English translation)

Systematic Literature Review on the Translation of Chinese Scientifc and Technological Classics

Jing Chen, 陈婧, 202270081627

Abstract

In addition to the Four Great Inventions, the ancient Chinese also made lots of findings and invented many technologies involving different fields, which is an important part of the world's scientific and technological civilization. Ancient China was among the world leaders in science and technology at that time, and the scientific and technological achievements in medicine, mathematics and astronomy spread to Korea, Japan, India and Central Asia at a very early stage, making important contributions to the development of science and technology in the world. All these contributions are closely connected to the work of English translation of scientific and technological classics. However, this cause have received less attention than that of literary and philosophical classics. So the author summmarize the research results of English translations of domestic scientific and technological canons from 2014 to 2023, focusing on the development overview of domestic scientific and technological canonical research, scientific and technological canons' English translation history, translation strategies, the current situation of dissemination, and identify the problems in this field, and propose solutions to some of the problems. This review is written to provide insights into the field and encourage further exploration and development of translation practices of Chinese scientific and technological classics.

Key Words

Chinese Scientific and technological classics, definition, history of English translation, translation strategies, dissemination status quo

摘要

除了四大发明，中国古代人民还发明了许多涉及不同领域的科学技术，是世界科技文明的重要组成部分。中国古代的科技水平居于当时的世界领先水平，且医学、数学、天文等方面的科学技术成果很早就传播到了朝鲜、日本、印度和中亚地区，对世界科学技术的发展做出了重要贡献。这些贡献都与科技典籍英译工作息息相关。然而，与文学经典和哲学经典相比，科技典籍英译受到的关注较少。因此，作者总结了2014-2023年国内科技大典英译的研究成果，重点关注国内科技典籍研究的发展概况、科技典籍英译历史、翻译策略、传播现状，并找出此领域存在的问题，并就一些问题提出解决方案。通过这次综述，作者希望为该领域提供见解，鼓励进一步探索和发展中国科技典籍的翻译实践。

关键词

中国科技典籍，定义，英译历史，翻译策略，传播现状

Introduction

Chinese scientific and technological classics are an integral part of the Chinese classics. Compared with Chinese literary, artistic, historical and philosophical classics, scientific and technological canon is relatively more objective and practical, and plays an irreplaceable role in cross-cultural communication. Chinese scientific and technological classics not only record scientific knowledge and technology, but also show the social landscape, political thought, economic conditions and folk customs of ancient China, with both academic and cultural values. The English translation of Chinese scientific and technological canons can enable the Western world to understand China from different aspects, to observe China more objectively and comprehensively, and to promote the dissemination of ancient Chinese scientific and technological culture and the equal exchange of science and technology between China and the West. However, the scientific and technological canonical texts have not received much attention in international exchanges and cross-cultural communication, and the English translations of Chinese canonical texts have focused more on literary works, historical works and philosophical works, while the English translations of scientific and technological canonical texts are relatively few and still have much room for development. In view of this, it is necessary for us to pay more attention to the English translation of scientific and technological canons. This paper combs through relevant academic papers published between 2014 and 2023, and provides an overview of domestic scientific and technological canonical research, scientific and technological canons' English translation history, translation strategies, the current situation of dissemination, so as to elucidate the status quo, achievements, shortcomings, and solutions in this field and further promote the development of English translation of Chinese scientific and technological classics, thus promoting the outreach of Chinese culture.

Ⅰ. Research Methods and Steps

This review mainly examines academic papers published in domestic journals on the English translation of Chinese scientific and technological canons. To collect valuable papers, the authors used search strategies, data analysis, and article screening.

1)Firstly, the author searched for keywords such as "scientific and technological classics", "foreign translation of scientific and technological classics", "history of English translation of scientific and technological classics" on CNKI, an authoritative literature resources website in China, to find the most often cited, most downloaded, and most recent relevant papers.

2)Then, the auther initially selected 29 papers, mainly from 2017 to 2023 (Figure 1).

3)After that, a literature cross-citation network analysis (Figure 2) and a keyword co-occurrence network analysis (Figure 3) were conducted on these literatures to identify the original literature with the highest number of citations and keywords with high frequency of occurrence, so as to find high-quality and valuable references.

4)Finally, after further reading the abstracts and scrutinizing the papers, 10 most relevant literatures were selected. Some cited literatures in these 10 literatures were also referred to in the process of writing this review.

1. Overview of the Development of Domestic Research on English Translation of Scientific and Technological Classics

Among the research papers on the translation of scientific and technological classics in the past two decades, medical science has the largest number of papers, with 262 papers, accounting for 65% of the total number of papers; agriculture ranks second, with 98 papers, accounting for 24.3% of the total number of papers; the following are 25 papers in geology, accounting for 6.2%, 5 papers in mathematics, accounting for 1.2%, 5 papers in general, accounting for 1.2%, 4 papers in other categories, accounting for 1%, and 4 papers in chemistry, accounting for 1%. The general characteristics of the research on translation of scientific and technical texts in the past 20 years, as revealed by the data, are: among the five research perspectives, the largest number of papers on translation content, with 355 papers, is the most active, accounting for 88% of the total number of papers on translation of scientific and technical texts. Among them, the medical category has the largest number of papers with the most comprehensive perspectives, but the most concentrated research topic is the translation content, with 237 papers. It can be seen that the medical category has been relatively mature in terms of translation content, and the research in agriculture is second only to medicine. However, studies on translation channels, translation audiences, and translation effects have not been conducted in geography, mathematics, and general studies. Only a small number of studies on translation contents and effects have been conducted in chemistry; only 18 articles have been published in mathematics, synthesis, others and chemistry, which account for a small proportion of the overall research on translation of scientific and technological texts, leaving a lot of room for research. (Liu Yingchun 2017, 26-27)

2. Definition of Scientific and Technological Canons

Hua Jueming gives an early and clear definition of Chinese scientific and technological classics in China, that is, "all ancient Chinese literatures on science and technology, including ancient books, archives, notebooks, wooden books, tablet inscriptions, oracle bones, and bronze inscriptions." In February 2009, Wang Rongpei and Wang Hong also gave a definition in the textbook English Translation of Chinese Classics: "Classics" seems to be defined as "important documents and books in China before 1911, the end of the Qing Dynasty." Later, Liu Xingfeng and Wang Hong gave a more detailed definition of "scientific and technological canons". "Ancient Chinese scientific and technological classics" are defined as works other than literature, art, history, philosophy works, etc. created in China before May Fourth Movement, covering astronomy, geography, medicine, agriculture, mathematics, chemistry, physics, engineering, military, handicraft, paper making, silk weaving, water conservancy, construction and so on. (Wang Hong, Liu Xingfeng 2018, 65) This is classified by discipline. According to the language of the original work, it can be classified into Chinese scientific and technological classics and minority classics.

3. History of English Translation of Scientific and Technological Canons

The earliest English translation of scientific and technological classics was made by the European missionaries to China, and the earliest English translation of scientific and technological classics, as far as the author can verify, was the medical classics The Illustration and Pithy Formulas for Pulses published in London in 1736. In general, the translations of scientific and technical texts have the following characteristics: 1) The translations are mainly English translations, and the number of translations differs greatly from the original number of works in the canon. According to statistics, there are 472 Chinese scientific and technological classics, and only 22 of them have been translated in China, accounting for 4.66% of the total .2) The types of translations are unevenly distributed, with more translations of medical classics.3) Most of the translations are abridged translations. An outstanding representative of foreign scholars' translations of Chinese scientific and technological texts is the famous British historian of science Joseph Needham, whose seven-volume History of Science and Civilization in China provides a comprehensive and systematic introduction to ancient Chinese scientific and technological achievements. Although the book contains many references to Chinese scientific and technological canons, it is not a systematic translation, but an introduction and commentary on ancient Chinese scientific and technological civilization from the perspective of comparison with the history of Western science. (Wang Yan, Li Zhengshuan 2020, 53)

In 1921, Ding Wenjiang, a Chinese geologist who received a western scientific education, interpreted Xu Xiake's Travels from the perspective of modern geography and translated it into English, and since then local Chinese translators have stepped onto the stage of history, and English translations of scientific and technological classics have gradually become large scale and been incorporated into the world history of science and technology. (Wang Yanmeng, Li Xianbin 2022, 142)

Since 1950, when the Translators' Notes was first published and scientific and technological translation papers were published, the research on scientific and technological translation in China has gone through nearly 70 years of history. Mr. Fang Mengzhi in his paper "Review and Commentary on the Research on Scientific and Technological Translation in China in the Past Half Century" divided the research on scientific and technological translation in China between 1950 and 1999 into three stages: the research between 1950 and 1979 was the first stage, which Mr. Fang called "the period of exploration and pause", and pointed out that the research at this stage focuses on the translation of scientific and technical terms. The research between 1980 and 1989 is the second stage, which Mr. Fang called "the period of introduction and summary", and pointed out that the research in this stage was mainly guided by foreign translation theories, with the main line of summarizing the experience of scientific and technological translation and generalizing the methods of scientific and technological translation; the research between 1989 and 1999 is the third stage. The research during 1989-1999 is the third stage, which Mr. Fang calls "the period of contention and development", and pointed out that the research on scientific and technological translation in this stage draws on the research results of multiple disciplines and focuses on the translation purpose and function, and strategies. From 2000 to the present, Chinese scientific and technological translation research has gone through nearly 18 years, and in this period, although "scientific and technological exchanges between China and foreign countries have become more frequent and the volume of translation has increased dramatically", however, Chinese scientific and technological translation research has not achieved higher level of development, but is facing "a unsustainable situation ". (Mei Yangchun 2019, 80)

Compared with the third stage of Chinese scientific and technological translation research summarized by Fang Mengzhi, the research situation between 2000 and 2018 is really not optimistic. Firstly, the research enthusiasm has weakened. Mr. Fang's statistics show that the total number of scientific and technological translation papers published in the third stage is 889, and the total number of translation papers is 5600, and scientific and technological translation papers account for 15.9% of the total papers. And the author's search results of China's CNKI show that from 2000 to May 2018, about 1647 scientific and technological translation papers were published in China, but the total number of translation papers published in this period was as high as more than 25,390, and scientific and technological translation papers only accounted for 6. 48% of them, which shows that the number of scientific and technological translation papers published in this period is obviously reduced compared with the third period. Secondly, the propaganda field of scientific and technological translation has shrunk significantly compared with the previous stage. Before 2000, all domestic core foreign language journals published a large number of articles discussing scientific and technological translation, and Shanghai Journal of Translators for Science and Technology, Chinese Translators Journal, and Chinese Science & Technology Translators Journal were the paradise for "a hundred schools of thought" in scientific and technological translation research. However, after entering the 21st century, not only the enthusiasm of other core foreign language journals to publish scientific and technical translation papers has declined sharply, but also the number of publication of scientific and technical translation papers has been reduced in all core special journals of translation except Chinese Science & Technology Translators Journal, for example, the number of publication in Chinese Translators Journal has been reduced sharply from nearly 60 articles per year in the previous three periods to a dozen articles per year, and the original column of "Scientific and Technological Translation" has been renamed as "Practical Translation" and " Discussion on Translation Methods ", and even the name of Shanghai Journal of Translators for Science and Technology has been changed to Shanghai Journal of Translators. (Mei Yangchun 2019, 80)

4. Translation Strategies for Scientific and Technological Classics

Before the position of Chinese culture is changed compared with that of English culture, if ancient Chinese scientific and technological classics are to be successfully translated into the English-speaking world, following the translation norms of the English-speaking world is the only way. The translation activity is successful only when the translated text is accepted by the society of the target language, which determines that it must comply with the translation norms of the target language. If the English translation of ancient Chinese scientific and technological classics conforms to the translation norms of the English-speaking world, the selection of its translation strategy needs to cover the selection of the proposed text, the selection of fidelity and readability, the stylistic features of the translated text and the specific translation methods. (Mei Yangchun 2014, 70-73)

4.1 Selection of the Proposed Translated Texts

There are two types of ancient Chinese scientific and technological texts, one is scientific and technological monographs, such as the Treatise on Febrile Diseases. The feature of these texts fits the Westerners' perception of scientific and technological works; the other is scientific and literary miscellany, such as the Dream Pool Essays, the Classic of Mountains and Rivers, and Lv's Commentary of History, etc. These texts contain a considerable amount of scientific and technological knowledge, but are highly literary and different from the Western perception of scientific and technological writings. In the order of English translation of ancient Chinese scientific and technological classics, we should first select the classics that fit westerners' perception of scientific and technological works, and present them in full translation to build westerners' basic perception toward ancient Chinese science and technology; secondly, we should translate scientific and literary miscellanies, because not all of these classics record scientific and technological knowledge, so we cannot translate all of them, but we can integrate the scientific and technological chapters in these classics according to their birth dates or scientific and technological genres, and and translate them in the form of scientific and technological treatises to enrich Westerners' knowledge of ancient Chinese science and technology. (Mei Yangchun 2014, 70)

4.2 Selection Between Fidelity and Readability

First of all, ancient Chinese scientific and technological canons are information-based texts, "the main function of which is to provide readers with objective things and phenomena in the real world" (Nord, 2001:37), and how to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of information transmission in translations of such texts "should not be judged by the 'fidelity' of the translation to the original author, but by the fact that the conveyed information will not be misunderstood by the readers of the translation" (Nida, 2001:129). Secondly, the English translation of ancient Chinese scientific and technological canons aims to clarify the status of Chinese science and technology in the world scientific and technological arena, which belongs to universal translation, and "determining the textual style of the translation according to the needs of the readers should become an important principle we must abide by" (Wang Hong, 2013:58). Besides, the ancient Chinese scientific and technological classics may have undergone intra-linguistic translation before English translation, and the original text translated by the translator is no longer the text created by the original author, so it is meaningless to emphasize "faithfulness" to the original author. Therefore, readability should take precedence over fidelity in the English translation of ancient Chinese scientific and technological classics. (Mei Yangchun 2014, 71)

4.3 The Stylistic Features and the English Translation Methods of Ancient Chinese Scientific and Technological Classics

Scientific and technological English has such stylistic features as clear information, logical coherence and objective statements. In contrast, ancient Chinese scientific and technical texts have a considerable degree of unclear information, unclear logic and subjective statements. (Mei Yangchun 2014, 71)

4.3.1 Obscure Information and Additional Translation

Ancient Chinese scientific and technological classics are written in classical Chinese, and the author often omits information that seems to him to be well known. If the text is translated directly, it is likely that the translation would not be acceptable to the given readers because it does not fit the characteristics of the technical English style. For Western readers, the lack of clear and detailed information may be the biggest obstacle for them to read ancient Chinese scientific and technological canons. There are three main reasons for this obstacle: firstly, the way they are presented is in classical Chinese; secondly, many cultural implications are in scientific and technological texts; thirdly, the unique expressions such as counting methods in ancient China. For the above three points, translators can solve them by adding translation, free translation and specifying. This makes it necessary to add the content that the author has omitted based on the consensus of the original language in order to reduce the reading barrier for the target readers. (Mei Yangchun 2014, 71)

4.3.2 Obscure Information and Free Translation

The boundary between ancient Chinese scientific and technological texts and literary texts is very ambiguous, and some scientific and technological knowledge, especially medical knowledge, is itself inseparable from Chinese ancient culture and philosophy, which to a certain extent has resulted in the unclear information of ancient Chinese scientific and technological canons. These scientific and technological messages with cultural implications are easily misinterpreted if translated into English literally, and efforts are needed to reflect the deeper meanings of the original texts through paraphrasing. (Mei Yangchun 2014, 72)

4.3.3 Obscure Information and Specification

Some of the expressions in ancient Chinese scientific and technological canons are ambiguous and may even cause ambiguity, which is one of the reasons why the target readers think the information is unclear. (Mei Yangchun 2014, 72)

4.3.4 Subjective Statement and Impersonalization

While technological English achieves objectivity through passive sentences, less use of personal pronouns, and avoidance of emotionally charged words, ancient Chinese scientific and technological classics are characterized by a lack of subject-object distinction, active-passive distinction, and the dominance of active sentences, making their statements more subjective. (Mei Yangchun 2014, 72)

4.3.5 Other methods

In addition to the above translation methods, transliteration and annotation are also commonly used in the English translation of ancient Chinese scientific and technological classics. Transliteration is mainly used for the translation of proper nouns, such as ancient Chinese weights and measures, and transliteration is often used in combination with annotation. Since the target readers of ancient Chinese scientific and technological classics are mostly general readers in the English-speaking world rather than experts in the study of ancient Chinese scientific and technological classics, if too many annotations appear in the translation, it will affect their reading speed and interest, and as long as the situation allows, it is better to use other methods to make the relevant content specific. (Mei Yangchun 2014, 73)

4.4 Multi-dimensional Interpretation Method

Since the scientific and technological classics are expressed in concise terms to form a terse and logical information system, the translator should not be limited to the source information involved in the terminology, but should also visualize the information (farming process, production process, production tools) in the original text with the help of the modal information of the original illustrations. (Yu Wengang 2023, 55)

The translation way of "moderately thick translation+convey meaning by images" is a multi-dimensional interpretation method characterized by matching illustrations and texts, juxtaposing on the same page, mutual interpretation and appreciation, and mirroring each other to creatively enhance the international recognition of ancient Chinese science and technology culture. The translation of ancient Chinese science and technology is a creative way to enhance the international recognition of ancient Chinese science and technology culture by giving full play to the function of modal semantic generation of original illustrations, highlighting the semantic potential of original information, satisfying the cognitive needs and media perception of modern readers, and enabling ancient Chinese science and technology ideas to transcend national boundaries, helping to show the style of ancient Chinese science and technology civilization, spreading the excellent "Chinese science and technology story", and transmitting Chinese wisdom and Chinese temperature. (Yu Wengang 2023, 57)

5. The Status Quo of Dissemination of Scientific and Technological Canons

Scientific and technological canons are an important part and carrier of traditional Chinese culture, but they have been relatively neglected in international exchanges and cross-cultural communication. In the foreign translation of Chinese classics, philosophical and literary classics have always received more attention, while Chinese scientific and technological classics have received less attention in comparison. According to statistics, among the ancient Chinese scientific and technological classics, there are more than 8,000 Chinese medical classics, more than 1,000 mathematical classics, and more than 4,000 agricultural works, which are of great value for introducing ancient Chinese scientific and technological knowledge and spreading Chinese traditional culture. However, as of 2018 statistics show that only 86 scientific and technological canonical texts have been published in English translation, which is negligible compared with the total number of scientific and technological canonical texts, there is an urgent need to increase the investment and support for the project of English translation of scientific and technological canonical texts, to sort out and analyze the published English translations and their dissemination effects, and to provide a strategic basis for the construction of the future dissemination routes of English translation of scientific and technological classics. Domestic research: by survey, only three of the 17 studies related to the translation of canonical texts from 1998-2018 in the linguistics category of the National Social Science Foundation were related to the translation of scientific and technological classics. The total number of English translation studies or dissemination-related studies of scientific and technological texts included in China's CNKI is only 310, and most of them are concentrated in the three books of the Classic of Tea, Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor, and Treatise on Febrile Diseases, and even the the Classic of Tea, which has attracted the most attention, has only 127 English translation or dissemination-related academic papers. In contrast, 445 papers related to the English translation or dissemination of The Analects of Confucius and 798 papers related to the English translation or dissemination of Dream of the Red Chamber are included in China's CNKI, showing that there is a huge gap in academic attention. The existing research hotspots on the English translation or dissemination of scientific and technological classics mainly focus on six areas: translation strategies and methods, language and culture, philosophy and interpretation, translation of scientific and technological terms, history of foreign translation and literature review, and emerging research tools and horizons. Foreign research: Joseph Needham, an early translator of Chinese scientific and technological canons, wrote Science and Civilization in China in English, which covers almost all aspects of ancient Chinese science and technology and is considered an "encyclopedia" in this field. In SpringerLink, Jstor, Elsevi⁃er, Gale, Wiley Online Library, OCLC, ProQuest, ESB⁃CO and other international data platforms, we searched databases for studies and book reviews related to translations of scientific and technological canons, and obtained 99 foreign studies, and there are fewer foreign studies on Chinese scientific and technological canons. The main focus is on two aspects of geology and medicine, and the geological classic that has received the most attention is the Notes To Luoyang Buddhist Temple, and the medical classic that has received the most attention is A Profound Treatise on Eye Diseases. Foreign research papers are mostly concerned with the professional knowledge involved in the scientific and technological canons, but rarely with the translation and dissemination of the canons. At present, most of the existing studies on the English translation of Chinese scientific and technological classics are based on the communicator and the content of communication, while relatively few studies are based on the recipient and the effect of communication, and not enough attention is paid to the medium and mode of communication. According to Lasswell's 1948 article The Structure and Function of Communication in Society, he proposed the "5W" model of communication process, namely, who (communicator), says what (communication content), in which channel (communication media and methods), to whom (recipients), and with what effect (communication effect). (Lin Guangyun, Wang Yun, Shao Xiaosen 2020, 151-152)

The most popular translations are all translations of two major categories of canonical texts, namely medicine and geography, and all but one of them are published by the Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, and the rest are published by overseas publishers, and the versions translated by native English translators are highly accepted and well disseminated. The wider dissemination of translations is usually associated with a higher proportion of electronic resources, except for one translation of The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions, which has a small proportion of electronic resources, but the phenomenon of multiple language versions is prominent. (Lin Guangyun, Wang Yun, Shao Xiaosen 2020, 152)

In general, the best circulated texts are those in the medical and geography categories. The canonical texts with a higher proportion of electronic resources in the total collection and more language versions usually have a larger number of libraries and a wider distribution of countries (regions), i.e., better circulation, and there is a relatively high positive correlation between the two sets of data. (Lin Guangyun, Wang Yun, Shao Xiaosen 2020, 153)

Ⅲ. Major Problems and Solutions

Based on the above findings and analysis, the author concludes several major problems with the current Chinese scientific and technological canons and put forward some solutions:

1. At present, there is no unified and generally recognized definition of the "Chinese scientific and technological classics", including their starting time, specific classification and existing forms. A scientific and uniform definition is needed, laying a critical foundation for further translation and research.

2. Compared with other types of canonical texts, the number of English translations of scientific and technological canons is rather low and the translated contents are unevenly distributed. More efforts should be made in the English translation of other fields such as astronomy, chemistry and handicraft technology. We need to explore the multiple values of the texts from different perspectives in order to stimulate the interest of Western readers in ancient Chinese science and technology.

3. There is no comprehensive and systematic summary of the history of English translations of scientific and technical canons. There is no shortage of summaries of Chinese science and technology or its history, such as the Book Series Compendium of Sources on Chinese Science and Technology and Joseph Needham's Science and Civilization in China but there is no book about the history of the English translation of this field and this gap has yet to be filled.

4. In the process of reading the literatures, the author found that both the specific studies on the translation strategies of scientific and technological classics and the studies on the translation strategies of a particular translated text, the translation strategies are relatively single and traditional. Due to the scientific and logical nature of scientific and technological canons, coupled with the diversification and electronicization of modern communication channels, translators can combine the English translation of scientific and technological canons with multimodal forms to make the abstract and complex scientific information more concrete and visualized, and the multimodal translation strategies of scientific and technological canons need to be further developed. Moreover, since translation of scientific and technological texts requires not only interlingual translation but also intra-lingual translation first, the cooperation of Chinese and foreign scholars in translation is an ideal way to translate.

5. The publication quality of English translation of scientific and technological classics varies. One of the most important reasons is that: the difficulty of publishing scientific and technical classics is higher than that of general classics, and the requirements for collators are higher, so there are relatively few researchers engaged in this work, and the funds invested are quite limited, and there are unreasonable problems in the recognition of results, such as including results in non-academic categories and not including them in scientific research assessment, which seriously reduces the motivation of scientific and technical classics collators. Scientific and technological canons are characterized by a wide range of disciplines and strong professionalism, which puts higher requirements on the quality of the organizers -- not only have a good command of the discipline, but also a certain mastery of the special ability of organizing ancient books. For a long time, there is no talent training program in China in this regard, coupled with the fact that conventional education attaches too much importance to students' professional knowledge education and neglects literary and historical knowledge education, while traditional literature-related majors do not focus on cultivating students' knowledge of science and technology, which directly leads to the scarcity of collators who know both scientific and technological knowledge and literary and historical knowledge. (Huang Qingbin, Xu Cheng 2022, 41)

6. Except a few popular scientific and technological canons, the effectiveness of overseas dissemination of other scientific and technological canons is not significant. Enhancing the dissemination effect can be done in the following three aspects: digitalization of canonical texts, multilingual media dissemination, and multi-form cross-media dissemination. (1) Digitalization of canonical texts and interactive communication based on corpus technology are the direction of the new media era. (b) Multilingual media and multidisciplinary cross-media help form a high conversion rate dissemination model, and the superior categories drive the overall dissemination. In the dissemination effect research, the more language versions, the more conducive to the improvement of the dissemination effect. (3) Cross-media dissemination by multiple means enhances the dissemination effect. The native media for the dissemination of Chinese science and technology classics are mainly books. In the research, it is found that in today's society, electronic media are of great help to enhance the dissemination effect, the dissemination speed, high reproducibility, convenience and ease of use and preservation of digital resources are incomparable to paper books. In the era of entertainment information technology, the traditional mode of communication can no longer fully meet the needs of widespread communication, but requires a more efficient and better accepted communication media and communication forms. (Lin Guangyun 2020, 159-160)

Ⅳ. Conclusion

In summary, the English translations of scientific and technological classics in China have made some achievements, for example, the translation of scientific and technological classics in the Library of Chinese Classics has filled the gap of Chinese systematic publication of English translations of scientific and technological classics, and some translations of scientific and technological classics have been very popular abroad, but there are still many worrisome problems. At present, there is no unified definition of "scientific and technological canons", the English translations of scientific and technological canons and related research are severely uneven, concentrating mainly on popular fields such as medicine, agronomy and mathematics, while the English translations of scientific and technological canons in other fields are less productive; the translation strategies for the English translations of scientific and technological canons are still traditional; and the means of communication are in urgent need of integration with modern new means of communication. In short, there is a long way to go for English translation of Chinese scientific and technological classics and related research work.

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