20230630 final exam 01

202270081683 陈彦希 Chen Yanxi 英语口译(English interpreting)

The C-E Translation Methods and Strategies of Chinese Classics: A Case Study on Chuang Tzu

Chen Yanxi, 202270081683

Abstract

China is a country with a long history and elegant civilization. In the long history of 5,000 years, many precious traditional cultures have been bred. Chinese classics are the important media to record traditional Chinese culture. Therefore, the translation of Chinese classics is an important way to spread the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, which can strengthen the dissemination of excellent traditional Chinese culture, enhance the international community's understanding of China and create a good international environment. At present, the research on the translation of Chinese classics is relatively lagging behind, and there are few targeted theoretical studies in the field of translation. We are faced with translation difficulties such as culture-loaded words, which lead to problems in the dissemination of traditional classics. As an important representative work of Chinese classical literature and philosophy, Chuang Tzu contains many terms and idioms with traditional Chinese characteristics, which can fully express the essence of traditional Taoist ideology and culture, which are also the main difficulties in its English translation. This paper discusses the translation methods and strategies of Chinese classics through the three parts of the translation difficulty, terminology translation and idiom translation of Chuang Tzu, so as to provide reference for the translation of Chinese classics and the dissemination of Chinese traditional culture.

Keywords

Chuang Tzu; Translation of Chinese Classics; Translation of Terms; Translation of Idioms; Dissemination of culture

Introduction

As one of the seven sons of the pre-Qin Dynasty, Chuang Tzu (Zhuang Zi), whose original name was Zhuang Zhou, was a famous philosopher and writer in the Warring States Period. He effectively founded the school of philosophy — Chuang Tzu theory, one of the important representatives of the traditional Taoist school. He and Lao Zi, the founder of Taoist thought, were called "Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi". Chuang Tzu is a cultural canon produced in the "axis period" of Chinese history and culture. It is regarded as the Nan Hua's Scriptures by Taoism. There are 33 existing chapters in the world, divided into 3 parts: inner chapter, outer chapter and miscellaneous chapter. It was written by Chuang Tzu, his disciples and descendants. It contains rich philosophical thought, culture and literary language, which has influenced many subsequent researchers of ideological literature. Chuang Tzu and his book Chuang Tzu provide not only a lasting spiritual food, but also an inexhaustible artistic treasure. With its philosophical and literary value and its unique charm, Chuang Tzu has attracted influential sinologists and translators from all over the world and has been widely translated into various languages. So far, the number of English versions of Chuang Tzu has reached more than 20. In Britain and the United States, the more influential versions are: Frederic Henry Balfour's version in 1881, Herbert Allen Giles' version in 1889, James Legge's version in 1891, Morton's version in 1965, Burton Watson's version in 1968, Angus Charles Graham's version in 1981, Victor H.Mair's version in 1994. In the domestic English translation, Feng Youlan's version in 1993 and Wang Rongpei's version in 1997 can be regarded as classics.

Chuang Tzu contains a large number of philosophical thoughts, as well as a large number of philosophical terms and idioms. Whether these contents can be translated accurately or not is related to the smooth inheritance and dissemination of Zhuangzi's thoughts. In the translation of Chuang Tzu, the translator must fully grasp the true meaning of the words in classical culture from the perspective of different culture and historical background stories, so as to ensure that he or she can fully and accurately express the philosophical and cultural thoughts of Chuang Tzu.

Difficulties in Translation of Chinese Classics

Language is the carrier of culture, and the meaning of text and words is the reflection of corresponding culture. Since Susan Bassnett's theory of cultural translation, the theory of "cultural turn" has become the focus of translation studies. Scholars of the "cultural school" believe that translation should focus more on cultural context and cultural perspective, and realize the transfer from text to culture. As the crystallization of traditional Chinese culture, Chinese cultural classics are like a deep treasure, condensing many factors other than language and words, such as, history, politics, culture, poetics, philosophy, ideology and so on. In applying the concept of "cultural translation", the translator should consider the text in an overall cultural context in order to achieve the reconstruction of cultural function as far as possible. However, there are some difficulties in the transliteration of cultural traits, which is due to the differences in cultural background, religious belief and ideology between Chinese and Western cultures.

Different Cultural Background

In terms of cultural background, Chinese culture emphasizes the idea of "cultivating morality with morality." Confucianism is based on the edification in rites and music, and constructs ethical order. The governance of ancient China did not depend entirely on the rule of law, but more on the rule of virtue, so that people could consciously cultivate their recognition of political rules. Western culture, however, pays more attention to the view of human nature, and believes that human virtue can only be produced in the acquired norms of the legal environment. Regime must be based on the law, the rule of law is superior to the rule of man. The differences between China and the West in the concepts of "rule of virtue" and "rule of law" determine the different trends of the two cultures. Chinese culture is more akin to the implicit tolerance of "Humanity,Justice,Etiquette,Wisdom and Faith", while western culture is relatively more "indifferent" and "ambitious", with unique rational reflection and criticism.

Different Religious Beliefs

In terms of religious beliefs, China respects Taoism, while the West attaches great importance to Christianity. Yep, there are three religions in Chinese religious culture: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, but Taoism was not introduced from other countries, but a native religion, which had a profound influence on Chinese traditional culture. China's Taoist School and Taoism (they two are different) claims that Taoism follows nature — heaven has its way, earth has its geography, people have their relationships, and things have their properties, under the guidance of the thought of "govern by doing nothing", sociaty tends to be stable and peaceful, people's hearts also tend to be harmonious and serene. Under the influence of ancient Roman and Greek mythology, the West was originally high-spirited and advocated a strong and aggressive spirit of bravery. The Christian crucifixion praised Jesus 'character of suffering with great perseverance and finally heroic sacrifice. This greatly tragic heroism is in stark contrast to the Eastern concept of "man is an integral part of nature".

Different Ideologies

In terms of the Chinese language, all the Chinese schools of thought contain the idea of "Mean". Buddhism has a "Golden Mean" way of thinking; Confucianism emphasizes in "the Doctrine of Mean"; Taoism also mentions the thoughs like "Mean", "Probity" and "Peace". This insistence on "Mean" has led Chinese people to advocate collectivism and criticize individualism since ancient times, and there have been warnings such as "the first bird will be shot with a gun" (junior is set up as the target) and "the wood is beautiful in the forest, and the wind will destroy it" (destruction pursues the great). Western thought, on the other hand, advocates human nature and free will, the supremacy of individual rights, and does not insist that the minority is subordinate to the majority. The satisfaction of personal interests gradually evolved into philosophical humanism, political democracy, economic liberalism and cultural self-consciousness awakening, etc.

Therefore, the cultural differences between China and the West make the realization of cultural translation very difficult. Since Matteo Ricci translated the Four Books in the 16th century, the translation of Chinese classics has a history of hundreds of years. Up to now, thousands of Chinese classics have been translated into other languages. Chinese cultural classics are influenced by the culture and ideology of a specific historical period, and have strong literary color. In the process of cross-cultural translation and dissemination, cultural misreading will inevitably occur. In order to ensure the equivalence between the source language readers and the target language readers in the aspect of information reception, the whole process of translation of classics should be driven and restricted by culture. The above difficulties are undoubtedly the key problems to be solved in the translation of Chinese classics.