On The Construction Of Translation Studies As A Discipline In China

The construction of translation studies in China (shortened as CTSC) has been an important subject. However, so far in this area has there been no academic research which can be labeled as comprehensive, systematic and integrated (Cf. Chapter 7), which cannot keep pace with the rapid current development of the discipline (science) in China. The dissertation involving 7 chapters is a tentative study, the main contents of which are as follows:Chapter 1 is a general and leading introduction to the whole paper. Firstly it makes a diachronic division of the whole process of CTSC with the reasons for such a division explained. Then the chapter describes and analyzes the main events of those construction periods comprising the publication (presentation) of important academic papers, influential works, and the holding of grand specialized forums. Secondly the chapter makes an clarification of the Chinese character of "学" in the term "翻译学"( translation studies), indicating that it has the implications of both "discipline" and "science", and that it is sometimes hard to differentiate between the two terms for their vagueness and fuzziness. Lastly the chapter concerns the reasons why the topic of the dissertation is chosen, the meaning of the title of the paper and those of the headings of different chapters, and research methods as well as the structure arrangement.Chapter 2 entitled "Theoretical Construction: Water Coming from the Source" is, as the title indicates, a chapter with the exploration of the theoretical construction. It primarily involves three kinds of theories, namely, fundamental theories, applied theories and methodology. The fundamental theories concern the nature, objects, frames, scopes, objectives and approaches of translation studies as a discipline. Upon the past researches of different scholars, the author attempts to propose his own ideas concerning the fundamental theories. In the case of applied theories, two sections are included: in the first, the author holds that the applied theories, serving as the link and ties between the general theory and practice, can be employed to analyze and solve the longstanding problem—the relation between the theory and practice in translation; in the second section, the correlation between applied theories and the construction of translation studies is dealt with. The part of methodology discusses the methodology of the discipline, pointing out the principles, the ways of the construction of the discipline and the application of different methods, such as the philosophic methods, empirical methods, comparative methods, comprehensive methods, etc. in the field.Chapter 3 with the title "Practice: Land under the Feet", probes into the practices in the construction of the discipline, which is the largest part of the research. It falls into four sections, namely, translation teaching, translation criticism, translation management and translation aids. In the first section, a new clarification is made on the distinction and different implications of the heated pair of terms "translation teaching" vs. "teaching translation", advocating that the differentiation of the two terms is of great significance; nevertheless, such a cutting is by no means the sole and absolute way of division. One way out is to use the same term "translation teaching" with its meaning re-explained. Then the correlation between translation teaching and the discipline construction is analyzed from two perspectives: one is to investigate the diachronic interactive relationship between the two—a relation of mutual influence and promotion; the other is to investigate the two by using the theory of systematology—a relation of inclusion: translation teaching is one of the subsystems of the discipline construction, and lies in the core position of the latter, the reasons for which the paper expounds and clarifies. Translation criticism is on rather complicated terms with translation theory and practice, for the former has various natures and functions. In fact, there are two kinds of relationships between translation criticism and the discipline construction: one is direct and the other is indirect. The former is that translation criticism is an organic part of the discipline construction while the latter is that by promoting the translation theory and practice, translation criticism advances the development of the discipline construction as a whole. Translation management is a comparatively wide and fuzzy concept. Accordingly, it is first defined in this chapter. Then, the correlation between the different parts of translation management and the discipline construction are demonstrated with the emphasis upon the importance and necessity of the former to the latter. Translation aids, like translation criticism, is not a strict concept and its contents are also uncertain. Several different components of translation aids and their roles and values in the construction of translation studies are respectively expounded.The fourth chapter "Reference: Useful Experiences Drawn from the Other Fields" is a section of approaches to the construction of translation studies. The chapter proposes that in CTSC useful experiences must be drawn from other fields and the two most important and effective sources are related disciplines and the occidental construction of translation studies. The two aspects are discussed here. Firstly, the chapter sets forth the different disciplines from which useful experiences, contents and inspirations can be obtained. The disciplines are respectively linguistics, philosophy, aesthetics and other subjects (including comparative literature, logic, the science of discipline, psychology, sociology, etc.) As regards the part of learning from the occidental experience of the construction studies, a diachronic description is first made of the process of the construction of the discipline in the west and then the concrete contents and principles of reference are analyzed.Chapter 5 is entitled with "Inheritance: the Preservation of the Traditional Translation Theories of China". Inheritance is another important approach towards the construction of translation studies. Upon the basis of the researches of the former scholars, the author first gives a definition to the term "traditional translation theories of China", and continues to discuss the boundaries, contents, systems, advantages, disadvantages, etc. of the theories. The author holds that the contents of the traditional theories are much more than being able to be tapped and studied and only those most important parts deserve it, that the traditional theories have had no systems, not to mention establishing a system by itself, however, out of the necessity of research, we can attempt to establish a system of the traditional theories, and that the research concerning the advantages of the traditional theories are scarce, especially compared with the abundance of the research of the disadvantages of the theories—a phenomenon adversely affecting the CTSC. The second section of the chapter explores the ways to inherit the traditional theories, involving the theories of sublation, hermeneutics, and transcendentalism.Chapter 6 with the title "Scholars: the Soul of Construction" is the last chapter of the main body of the dissertation. It is a chapter where some distinguished scholars as well as their great contributions are described and evaluated. Firstly, three most representative scholars are chosen and discussed in detail with the emphasis upon their outstanding achievements in the construction of translation studies. The three scholars are respectively Dong Qiusi, Tan Zaixi and Yang Zijian. Additionally five other scholars are mentioned: Liu Miqing, Xu Jun, Wang Hongyin, Xie Tianzhen and Mu Lei. The aim of writing this chapter is not to create a biography for each scholar; rather, it can be seen as a new perspective in that by describing and analyzing the scholars' great contributions towards the discipline construction, we can somewhat shed new light on the main topic of the paper: the construction of translation studies in China.The seventh and last chapter is a conclusion of the whole paper. It is divided into three sections. The first concerns the summary (the main contents and ideas) of the whole paper. The second tackles the innovations as well as the flaws that appear in the paper. The last points out what should be dealt with in the follow-up work.