Comp Stud Trans EN 2
A Comparative Study on Chinese and Western Translation Philosophy：
2.1 Abstract: The philosophical study of translation plays an indispensable role in promoting the construction and development of translation studies with a dialectical thinking. Both Chinese and Western translators have explored the translation philosophy in diverse perspectives throughout history. On philosophical issues, paradigms of translation study and essence of “Translation” are fundamental, while the translator (translator-subjectivity) is one of the direct actors. Thus they act on as the cornerstones of the basic issues of translation- Ontology and Translator’ s Subjectivity. On the macroscale, the formation and development of translation theory in China are related to the historical and socio-cultural contexts as well as the perception of language and ideology; In contrast, the formation in the West has been developing together with translation activities. The discussion of the essence of “Translation” has also been presented in multiplex manners by theorists in China and the West. Their discussions have continuously reinforced the framework of translation theories, which are the important fundations for examining the relationship between the subject and object of translation; On the other hand, translators, as actors of translation theories and practices, directly influence the processes and results of translation. Generally speaking, the translator-subjectivity in Chinese translation history has been in a relatively central position, as present theories also emphasizes the relationship between translator-subjectivity, author-subjectivity and reader-subjectivity. While that of the West has gone through a process from the position of “invisibility” , “presence” then to “harmony”.
2.2 Keywords: Translation philosophy; Comparative Studies; Ontology；Translator‘ s Subjectivity
2.3 中文摘要：翻译哲学研究以辩证的思维方式对翻译研究的建设和发展起着不可或缺的推动作用。历史上，中西方的翻译家都从不同的角度对翻译哲学进行了探索。在哲学问题上，翻译研究的范式和 "翻译 "的本质是翻译哲学的根本问题，而译者（译者主体性）则是翻译哲学的直接施行者。因此，翻译的本体论和译者的主体性组成了翻译基本问题的基石。从宏观上看，中国翻译理论的形成和发展，与历史和社会文化背景以及对语言和意识形态的认识有关；而纵观西方，从实用主义、解释学、结构主义等等翻译理论的倡导，到如今的多元理论，其翻译理论的形成则是与翻译活动一起发展的。中西方理论家对 "翻译 "本质的讨论也以多元的方式呈现，他们的讨论不断强化着翻译理论的框架，成为研究翻译主体和客体关系的重要依据；另外，翻译主体作为翻译理论和实践的施行者，直接影响着翻译的过程和结果。总的来说，译者主体性在中国翻译史上处于相对的核心地位，目前的理论也强调译者主体性、作者主体性和读者主体性之间的关系。而西方则经历了一个从 "隐形 "到 "在场 "再到 "和谐 "的过程。
2.4 关键词：翻译哲学；对比研究；本体论；译者主体
2.5 Introduction
As the statement of British translation theorist Newmark, it should be noticed that the philosophy is the fundamental problem of translation (Newmark) . The relationship of translation theory and philosophy not only closely related, but also intertwined and interpenetrated, which underlys the correlation that translation philosophy is the manner of guiding the development of translation thoery. According to Pan Wenguo and Tan Huimin’ s Comparative Linguistics, we can say that the discipline of translation can be divided into four levels: Translation Philosophy - Translation Theory - Translation Application Theory - Translation Application Practice (190) . These four levels mutually supported to each other, which constitute an organism of translation discipline. Among them, the Translation Philosophy is at the highest level, which is “the driving force for the development of the discipline's theory and the key to keeping it alive”(191) . Therefore, the philosophical study of translation plays an indispensable role in the construction of the discipline. In an era of accelerated globalisation, where a hundred theories and disciplines are competing and different cultures are in fierce collisions, translation and its philosophical problems, which served as the important bridge between China and the West, should be given adequate attention. Both Chinese and Western translators have explored the translation philosophy in diverse perspectives throughout history. On philosophical issues, paradigms of translation study and essence of “Translation” are fundamental, while the translator (translator- subjectivity) is one of the direct actors. Thus they act on as the cornerstones of the basic issues of translation- Ontology and Translator’ s Subjectivity. On the macroscale, the formation and development of translation theory in China are related to the historical and socio-cultural contexts as well as the perception of language and ideology; In contrast, the formation in the West has been developing together with translation activities, from the advocation of “empirical”, hermeneutics, structuralism, ect., to nowadays pluralistic theories. The discussion of the essence of “Translation” has also been presented in multiplex manners by theorists in China and the West. Their discussions have continuously reinforced the framework of translation theories, which are the important fundations for examining the relationship between the subject and object of translation; On the other hand, translators, as actors of translation theories and practices, directly influence the processes and results of translation. Generally speaking, the translator-subjectivity in Chinese translation history has been in a relatively central position, as present theories also emphasizes the relationship between translator-subjectivity, author-subjectivity and reader-subjectivity. While that of the West has gone through a process from the position of “invisibility” , “presence” then to “harmony”. The comparative studies on Chinese and Western philosophies of translation are not only of fundamentality to the development of the theoretical and applied practice of the disciplines, but also of great significance to the study of Chinese and Western cultural backgrounds and thinking patterns.
2.6 Translation Essence
The study of translation cannot be separated from the discussion of the metaphysical "being", which encompasses the essential characteristics of translation. Yang Zijian points out that "the essence of translation is the category of truth of the subject's reaction, the logical category of the unification of subject and object". To study the fundamental differences between Chinese and Western definitions of the essence of translation, one should first conduct a comparative study of the research paradigms of Chinese and Western translation theories, because paradigm studies not only reflect the differences between Chinese and Western views of the world and translation, but also reveal the deeper reasons for Chinese and Western research orientations towards the essence of translation.
2.6.1 Comparison on Paradigms of Translation Study in China and the West
2.6.1.1 Paradigms and philosophical ideas of Chinese Translation Studies
A “paradigm” in translation studies refers to a world view, a comprehensive perspective or model of translation studies. Chinese translation theory has been influenced primarily by the dominant cultural ideology and significant translation practices guided by historical events. The dominant ruling ideology and ancient cultural heritage is dominated by Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, while the most prominent periods of large-scale translation practice are the translation of Buddhist scriptures, the translation of humanities and social sciences in the late Qing dynasties and early age of the Republic of China, and translation after the May Forth Movement.
2.6.1.1.1 Translation of Buddhist Scriptures
The development of ancient Chinese translation theory was enriched by the flourishing of Buddhist translations from the late Eastern Han dynasty to the early Northern Song dynasty. According to the history of the development of Buddhist translation as described by Shi Zanning (919-1001) in his Biography of the Song Monks, as well as the translation policies of the various dynasties, it can be seen that ancient Chinese translations paid particular attention to cultural exchange, aesthetic thought, sensuous embodiment and comprehensive cultural effects, as well as to the status of the translator and the humanistic dimension of the translation itself. This is closely related to the cultural tradition of Confucianism. The Buddhist leader Shi Dao'an (312-385) in the Eastern Jin period, in the course of his translation practice on sutras, put forward the “three difficulties” of translation: First, the sutras were created in ancient time when the Buddha was alive, and the ancient and contemporary customs were different, so it was not easy to adapt the ancient to the contemporary; Second, it was not easy to convey the sage’ s subtle words to the ordinary people of later generations; Third, those who had compiled the scriptures were men of great wisdom and courage, thus now it is not easy to get the normal to translate them. In his view, he discussed the content of translation and the conversion of ideas in a humanistic view. While in Sui dynasty, the famous monk Yan Cong (557-610) focused on the requirements of the translator’ s subjectivity in his “Eight Qualities”, which not only stated the importance of translation ability, but also took into account the way of cultivating one’ s morality —— A translator should be devoted and passionate on Buddhism, while came with a good command of Sanskrit, erudition, an upright heart, the open-mindedness, and the indifference to fame and fortune. In addition, the famous Tang dynasty monk and translator of Buddhist scriptures, Xuan Zang, proposed the“Five situations where translation is inappropriate”, which took note of the differences of two cultures and emphasized the important role of translation as a medium of communication: “Do not use the original Chinese philosophical terms to attach to the original text, so as not to fill it with the other and confuse it with the original concepts”, “Introducing foreign cultural elements, not mixing them with Chinese names, and seeking their constant harmony in Chinese Language.”At the same time he proposed the idea of aesthetics: to keep the Buddhist classics used in an elegant way, so as not to be vulgar and to maintain a taste for reading.
2.6.1.1.2 Translation in the late Qing dynasty and early age of the Republic of China
2.6.1.1.3 Translation after the May Forth Movement
2.6.1.2 Paradigms and philosophical ideas of Western Translation Studies
2.6.2 Comparison on Essence and Definition of “Translation” in China and the West
2.7 Mutual Learning of Translation Philosophy in China and the West
2.7.1 Mutual Learning: Present and Outlook
2.7.2 Introspection and Suggestion
2.9 Reference