Study On The Interpretation Of TCM In Bilingual Dictionaries And Its English Translatio

BackgroundBilingual traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)dictionaries are important tools for international communication of TCM,and the definition is the core and soul which largely determines the quality of dictionaries.As TCM has gained more popularity worldwide,it is necessary to compile more bilingual TCM dictionaries with both entry definition and its translation instead of entry translation alone to meet the increasing needs of domestic professionals and students engaged in scientific research,treatment,teaching and international communication of TCM.ObjectivesThis study focuses on the definitions of TCM terms as well as the corresponding translations from lexicography perspective by taking disease terms of pediatrics in TCM as examples.Under the guidance of classical category theory and prototype category theory,the author analyzed disease terms of pediatrics in the three authoritative TCM dictionaries and four bilingual TCM dictionaries from definition content and definition pattern.Then the author made a comparative study of the definition translations of seven bilingual TCM dictionaries from the perspective of equivalence.The study summarizes some definition principles and patterns,translation strategies and methods to provide references for bilingual TCM dictionaries compilation.MethodsThe study selected five most representative pediatric disease terms from the current TCM standards and pediatric textbooks as research objects to explore the definition and its translation in bilingual TCM dictionaries.The study focused on the following three questions:(1)What are the definition patterns of disease terms in bilingual TCM dictionaries?(2)How to standardize the definition contents of disease terms in bilingual TCM dictionaries?(3)What are the main problems and countermeasures of the definition translation of disease terms in bilingual TCM dictionaries?In terms of definition patterns,the study explored the core elements that should be covered in the definitions of bilingual TCM dictionaries by comparing commonalities and differences of definition elements between TCM dictionaries and bilingual TCM dictionaries.In terms of definition contents,the study analyzed corresponding contents of each definition element by referring to TCM dictionaries,bilingual TCM dictionaries and pediatric textbooks and then recommends definitions of five pediatric disease terms in bilingual TCM dictionaries.As for the English translation of definitions,the definition translation of disease terms in seven bilingual TCM dictionaries were compared based on the Chinese definitions proposed in this study,and then the study recommends definition translations of five pediatric disease terms in bilingual TCM dictionaries.Results(1)Definition pattern:The definition pattern of disease terms in the bilingual TCM dictionaries of this research is "category+distinguishing characteristics" with such definition elements as category,another name,cause,symptom,pattern and treatment,etc.The definition elements of different disease terms in the same dictionary are inconsistent;the definition elements of the same disease term in different dictionaries are inconsistent;(2)Definition content:The categorization of disease terms is not standardized;the content of definition is composed of main causes,symptoms,therapeutic principles and methods,existing such problems as inadequate information,redundant information,mixed concepts,and inaccurate expressions.(3)Definition translation:There are two types of problems.At lexical level,one disease term corresponding to different translations;at syntactical level,redundant sentence structures,uneven information distributions,and unclear semantic logic influenced by native language interference.ConclusionsCategory theories offer wider research perspectives and more methods in bilingual TCM dictionary research by providing theoretical framework.In terms of definition patterns,core elements and non-core elements in definition should be taken into consideration and distinguished so that the minimum definition elements of bilingual TCM dictionaries can be identified.According to principles of systematization,conciseness and relevance,the suggested definition pattern of disease terms in bilingual TCM dictionaries is:"category+distinguishing characteristics(cause+symptoms+treatment)".Other definition elements can be added or omitted accordingly.In terms of definition contents,the categorization of the disease terms is the cognitive reference.According to principles of accuracy,a disease definition can be defined according to the categorization of the term,the research on the connotation of the term,and the actual needs of dictionary users.The three-folded consideration can work as references to provide accurate,professional and dictionary user-oriented definition of bilingual TCM dictionaries.The language should be standardized such as "因...所致","症见...","治宜...".As for definition translations,it is suggested to follow the principle of equivalence to ensure accuracy and consistency at the terminology level.At the sentence level,more attention should be put on the differences between Chinese and English so as to maximize semantic equivalence by optimizing sentence structure and standardizing language expressions.