Comparative Study On Thick Translation In James Legge’s And Ku Hungming’s Versions Of Lun Yu

Thick translation plays a crucial role in translating Chinese classics and spreading Chinese culture.Thick translation seeks with its annotations and its accompanying glosses to locate the text in a rich cultural and linguistic context.In translating Chinese classics,thick translation provides rich background information to target readers,enriches their cognitive context,and helps them better understand and accept Chinese classics,thus promoting the “Going Global” strategy of Chinese classics and Chinese culture.Lun Yu is a treasure in Chinese classics.It is regarded as the “Eastern Bible”,which embodies great ideas of Confucius.Among English translations of Lun Yu,James Legge’s version and Ku Hungming’s version are the two most well-known ones,which have a profound and lasting influence.Legge’s version is famous for faithful language and abundant annotations,while Ku’s version is known for concise language and plain style,both of them are typical in thick translation.This study adopts methodology of descriptive translation studies and documentary analysis to describe and classify thick translation in James Legge’s version and Ku Hungming’s version,analyzes different strategies and reasons for thick translation from a cultural perspective in the two versions of Lun Yu,and summarizes methods of thick translation in translating Lun Yu,thus contributing some advices to translation of Chinese classics.On the basis of previous researches,this paper studies thick translation from the aspects of form and content,making detailed analysis on the similarities and differences of thick translation in the two versions of Lun Yu.From the perspective of forms of thick translation,addition of preface and footnotes are the same in the two versions,and the distinctive forms in the two versions are as follows: addition of prolegomena and indexes in James Legge’s version,and addition of background information within the text in Ku Hungming’s version.From the perspective of content of thick translation,addition of lexical explanations,Chinese background information and translation specifications are the same in the two versions,and the distinctive content in the two versions are: addition of de-construction of Chinese characters,summary of main ideas,and explanation of implication of texts in James Legge’s version,and addition of comparison with western images and analogy of quotations from celebrities in the west in Ku Hungming’s version.Thick translation in the two versions aim at enriching target readers’ contextual and cultural environment.By comparing thick translation from cultural perspective in the two versions of Lun Yu,the study shows that James Legge uses foreignization strategy,focusing on introducing cultural background information of source text and language(Chinese);while Ku Hungming adopts domestication strategy,tending to express cultural background information of target text and language(English).Translator’s identity,translation motivation and target readers are the three cultural reasons for the differences.From perspective of reader’s reception,we can find that thick translation in Legge’s version is rich and abundant,making comprehensive introduction to Lun Yu and referential classics,so Legge’s version is suitable for academic researcher’s study;while Ku’s version is concise and fluent,making comparison between elements in Lun Yu and western images,so Ku’s version is suitable for general reader’s comprehension.Therefore,in translating Chinese classics,the translator should choose different strategies of thick translation according to different target readers,and offer more relevant background information on source language or target language as much as possible,so as to broaden reader’s cognitive context,making them better accept the translation text.Comparative study on thick translation in English versions of Lun Yu can provide some beneficial references for the translation of Chinese classics and Chinese culture “Going Global” strategy,it is significant and worth researching.