| ObjectiveAt present Jinkui Yaolue(《金匮要略》)has two cover-to-cover translations in domestic and several textbooks of English.The two cover-to-cover translation are Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber by Luo Xiwen,and Chinese-English Textbook Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber by Ruan Jiyuan.Among those textbooks,Clinical Fundamentals of Traditional Chinese Medicine edited by Wang Xinhua is authoritative and representative as it is a national planned textbook for international traditional Chinese Medicine education.The studies,especially the translation criticism involved the translation of Jinkui Yaolue is very few and mainly focused on terms.To make a systematic study to dig out the advantages and disadvantages of those English versions could make contribution to the perfection of inkui Yaolue translation.Peter Newmark proposed a systematic and comprehensive method of translation criticism in his work A Textbook of Translation.The method is a plan include five topics:(1)a brief analysis of the source language text stressing its intention and its functional aspects;(2)the translator’s likely readership;(3)a selective but representative detailed comparison of the translation with the original;(4)an evaluation of the translation of the translation;(5)where appropriate,an assessment of the likely place of the translation in the target language culture or discipline.Translation theories had proposed different standards of translation and criticism.In Sci-tech Translation,Li Yashu and Huang Zhonglian proposed “three dimensions” standards for science texts translation.The “three dimensions” standards include:(1)pragmatic value,as the primary principle,stressing the readability and acceptability;(2)inside meaning,as the secondary principle,emphasizing the transfer of SL connotation and function;(3)outside form,as the third principle including “similarity” to SL text for cover-to-cover translation and “positive effect”to improve the pragmatic value and inside meaning.Since Jinkui Yaolue is a science text about medicine,the “three dimensions” standards and the criticism plan of Peter Newmark are applied to a comparative study on Luo’s version,Ruan’s version and Wang’s version of Jinkui Yaolue.This study hopes to find the obvious errors and discuss relative solutions and conclude the advantages and disadvantages of the three versions to provide references for perfection of Jinkui Yaolue translation.Thus,it is expected to promote the development of traditional Chinese Medicine in abroad.MethodsAccording to Newmark’s criticism plan,this study could be divided into two parts:1.Firstly,it analyses the intention,function and works of source text as well as the translation purposes and readership of translators.Than it compares original texts and translations about the content and function.2.Secondary,this study selects disease names,formula names and representative clauses of three versions for detailed comparison and to be evaluated by the “three dimensions” standards.It also discusses translation methods and the solution for exposed errors.It is necessary to stress that different objects should be evaluated by relevant standard is reasonable.Connotation transfer is the prior task of disease and formula names translation,while smooth and fluency is vital to clause translation.So the standards for those names translation should be the inside meaning as the primary principle,the pragmatic value as the secondary and the outside form principle last.And the standards for clause translation should be the pragmatic value as the primary principle,the inside meaningas the secondary one and the outside form principle the third.Results1.Through analyzing the source text,translators and their translation,it gets the following findings:(1)Intention of author: Zhang Zhongjing,the author of Jinkui Yaolue,made efforts to conclude and record the information of diseases and their treatments for improve the knowledge and skill of doctor so as to cure patients more effectively.(2)Source text function: Jinkui Yaolue has been reading and studying by students,physicians and experts of traditional Chinese Medicine.It plays a important role in history and nowadays as a text book and a clinical guide.(3)Translation intention and readership: Luo Xiwen intended to provide a version of exposing traditional Chinese medicine fundamental theory for those who would like to learn the theory.Ruan Jiyuan would like to provide a textbook or a reference text for students or researchers.Wang Xinhua was authorized to compile a textbook for international traditional Chinese medicine education which mainly involve teachers and foreign students.(4)Source text and translation:Three versions are translated from different source texts.The source text of Luo’s version and Ruan’s version are Jinkui Yaolue Yuyi(《金匮要略语译》)and Jinkui Yaolue Yishi(《金匮要略译释》)respectively.Wang’s version is the translation of the Chinese part of the same textbook.Both Luo and Ruan just translated the clauses followed the original discourse structure and omitted the comment and interpretation in source text that increase comprehending difficulty.While Wang’s version adapts the discourse structure and clauses order to cognition process and has comprehensive interpretation and summarization of source text.It can help readers to understand the content in comprehensive and systematic way.In this way,the textbook can realize or even promote the function of Jinkui Yaolue.2.On the other hand,with “three dimensions”standards,evaluation of disease names,formula names and representative clauses shows following that:(1)Comparison of disease names translation: This study collects 75 disease names from versions of Luo and Ruan and 50 disease names from Wang’s version.The disease names in Wang’s are of free translation almost and 24 of them gets higher side meaning and pragmatic value than the other ones.At the same time,in Luo’s version,there are 49 names of free translation,9 ones of literal translation and 17 names of transliteration and 16 names get higher evaluation.While 3 names in Ruan’s version are recommended by the standards for more literal translations.Thus,free translation is better in translating disease names.(2)Comparison of formula names translation: All formula names in Wang’s version are of transliteration and get no inside meaning and little pragmatic value due to Pinying is meaningless and unfamiliar to readers thus provides nothing useful information.Luo translated formula name of herbs with relevant names in Latin,a “died”language with rare speaker,could make his translation be perfectly correct but meaningless and unfamiliar to non-Latin speakers;on the other hand,the ones named with function,disease name and metaphor are transliterated get no inside meaning and little pragmatic value.In Ruan’s version,the formula name forms with medicine and numbers is translated into English directly,which is very easy to understand.On the other hand,for the one is named with function,disease and metaphor,the main herbs with the formula is used to rename it.In this way,the created formula name could be concise and also tell readers relevant information.Therefore,the formula names in Ruan’s version could get higher inside meaning and pragmatic value than the two other.(3)Comparison of clauses translation: Through a detailed comparison between the selected clause versions,it could conclude that free translation performs better than literal translation in inside meaning transfer and improving translation pragmatic value.In Luo’s version,clause structure was adapted to target language and reader and get higher pragmatic value than that of being adapted to source text style in Ruan’s version.Wang followed the structure of Luo’s and made his translation has a similar pragmatic value to Luo’s version.Furthermore,Wang’s clause dose a better job in inside meaning transfer from source text to English text,thus deserves a higher evaluation by the “three dimensions”standards.ConclusionAccording to results,it could be concluded that:(1)The discourse structure of textbook by Wang Xinhua could help readers’ comprehension and do a better job in realize the source text function than cover-to-cover translation.So,the author propose a new discourse structure for further improvement of English textbook of Jinkui Yaolue based on Wang’s Version.(2)According to the “three dimensions” standards,as mainly applying free translation,Luo’s and Wang’s disease names have a advantage than the one in Ruan’s version.On the other hand,the target-oriented outside form in Luo’s and Wang’s version and free translation could promote the inside meaning transfer and pragmatic value of clauses.Generally,Wang’s version is appreciated with a higher evaluation by the standards.While Ruan’s formula names is more appreciated as telling reader relevant information with similar words.(3)Generally,the respective advantages and disadvantages of three versions are determined by professional background,readership of translator.Wang is an expert in traditional Chinese medicine theory and was authorized to compile a textbook for foreign students of traditional Chinese medicine major.While Ruan majoys in science of acupuncture and moxibustion of TCM and Luo was an great translator rather a expert of traditional Chinese medicine.Therefore,it is reasonable that Wang’s version performs better in inside meaning transfer as Wang could be more proficient in the content of Jinkui Yaolue.Besides,definite readership allowed Wang compile a targeted text for target readers.These are objective factors that could influence the quality of translation works. |
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