The Optimal Translator Of Chinese Classics

Chinese classics translation is an inevitable trend in the new era.In recent years,in order to disseminate traditional Chinese culture and help it accepted by western readers,scholars have hotly debated over the four major issues in Chinese classics translation.Four major issues are why are Chinese classics translated? What kinds of Chinese classics should be translated into English? How are Chinese classics translated? Who are optimal translators of Chinese classics? The four major issues are interrelated.The translator plays an important role in translation,being the reader of the original works and the creator of the translated works.Therefore,choosing the optimal translator is closely related to the cultural heritage and the national image of China.Based on the debate of scholars over the optimal translator,the thesis classifies scholars’ opinions and analyzes the merits and demerits of Chinese translators and sinologists.Besides,target readers are the main research objective.The comment review of target readers on Amazon,library collections and questionnaires provided by previous scholars are carried out to study the popularity of English versions of Sun Tzu: The Art of War abroad.Then,influential factors affecting target readers are analyzed.Target readers are classified into children readers,teenager readers,adult readers and professional experts.It aims to improve translated works properly through studying target readers’ horizon of expectations,aesthetic level and reading requirements.Finally,the optimal translator of Chinese classics is defined in a broad sense and in a narrow sense.Lin Yutang’s,Lionel Giles’ s,Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang’s translated works are taken for example,and the advantages of cooperative translation are revealed.Under the guidance of reception aesthetics,from the perspective of target readers’ horizon of expectations,aesthetic level and reading requirements,the research on comment reviews of target readers on Amazon is carried out.The research focus is the acceptance of three translated versions of Sun Tzu: The Art of War.In this process,the good and the bad of these translated versions are discovered.Based on the 5W model of communication,library collections and questionnaires about Sun Tzu: The Art of War are provided.Having a full understanding of the popularity of translated works can provide a reference for the future translation.The research methodology of the thesis is adopted as follows: literature retrieval,case study and logic generalization.They are used to analyze the debate rationality of scholars,the popularity of the translated works.Besides,the optimal translator is formed in the study.It is found that the issue of “who are optimal translators of Chinese classics” is not easy to be solved.The final meaning of Chinese classics translation lies in target readers’ reading,understanding and acceptance of translated works.In terms of target readers,there are three findings.Firstly,target readers tend to choose translated works which have an attractive cover design and are in accordance with their aesthetic standards.Secondly,the fidelity and readability of translated works are necessary for readers to understand translated works.Meanwhile,proper aesthetic distance between the original works and the translated works are maintained.Two fusions of horizon are realized,as if the reader had a dialogue with the original work.Thirdly,translators of the popular translated works have a clear understanding of target readers,regardless of their aesthetic standards or cultural background.What’s more,through the whole study,it is found that the optimal translator of Chinese classics is the cooperative translation.There are three modes.The first mode: Chinese translators can be the translator,and sinologists can be the reviewer.The second mode: sinologists can be the translator,and Chinese translators can be the reviewer.The third mode: Chinese translators can be the translator of the first half of the book,and sinologists can be the translator of the second half of the book.After translation,they can review each other’s translated texts.The significance of the research: by analyzing the popularity of translated works,the shining point and limitations of translated works are discovered,such as its cover design,fidelity and readability.Choosing the right mode of cooperative translation can greatly improve the efficiency of translation,attract more readers and do help for the future study in Chinese classics translation.