A Study Of English Translation Of Chinese Cultural Classics In The19^th Century

The19th century is a century in which China and Western countries knew each other, Chinese civilization and Western civilization collided and communicated. China’s agricultural civilization made active response to the challenge of Western industrial civilization. In the process of mutual understanding Western missionaries and diplomats translated Chinese cultural classics into English and transmitted Chinese culture into Western countries. By the end of the19th century, the introductory works about China and Western countries had decreased whereas translated works had emerged in large numbers. From this perspective, it is safe to say that the history of communication between China and the West in the19th century is a history of translation.This research belongs to the category of translation history of Chinese cultural classics into Western countries, not the other way round. It focuses on the English versions of Chinese cultural classics in the19th century, covering the translation texts before the19th century and in the20th century so that the general contour of Chinese cultural classics in the Western countries may be made clear. This dissertation is divided into four parts. In the first part, the English versions from Latin and other European languages are sorted out so as to discover the source of the translation texts of Chinese cultural classics in the19th century. In the second part, the translation texts of Chinese cultural classics in the19th century constitute the key part by which to probe into the translation motives and purposes of missionaries and diplomats, general features of the translation texts, translation strategies, translation thoughts, comparisons and communications between Confucian school, Taoist school and Christianity, relationship between translation and academic researches, the role of the English translation of Chinese cultural classics translation in the process of the westward transmission of Chinese learning and so on. In the third part, the concept of "translation of residential country" is proposed and defined before translators’identity, cultural mentality, host culture and guest culture, Chinese cultural dissemination and its orientation, its relationship with colonialism and so on are discussed. In the fourth part, the developing trend of English translation of Chinese cultural classics in the 20th century is revealed, that is, moving from the secularized translations to the academic ones, characterized by diversification of translators’ identity, digitalization of translation texts, prospering of translation theories and so on. Of the four parts, the key is the translation of Chinese cultural classics in the19th century in which there are two main translation clues centering around translators:translation activities done by missionaries and those by diplomats, as well as two secondary clues:translations of Chinese cultural classics found in Chinese-English dictionaries and those published on journals.The English translation of Chinese cultural classics in the19th century was propped by two main clues, that is, missionaries’ translation and diplomats’ translation. In the first half when communications between China and the West were limited, missionaries focused on the translation of Three-Character Classic, the Four Books and so on, which did not cause much attention in the Western countries because of relatively small translation value and attainments. In the second half, the English translation of Chinese cultural classics reached the climax, marked by the fact that the Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist texts were translated into English and even some were re-translated. With a purpose to serve the spread of Christianity, these translations are characterized by fusion of Christianity, Confucianism and Taoism, which are of great value, deserve further studies and meanwhile Sinological researches. In order for the Western readers to understand Chinese ideas smoothly, missionaries usually took juxtaposition of Chinese&English versions and thick-translation strategy.In the first half of the19th century, with an eye to know about China, diplomats favored translating Chinese popular literary works in then China, trying to grasp the social life, moral trait, and spiritual temperament of then Chinese people, so as to provide reference to trading and colonizing in China, which resulted in the fact that translations of their very nature overstressed conveying messages at the cost of their readability and literariness. In the second half, top-ranking Chinese classics were translated in order for the Westerners to recognize that China was a civilized country "occupying an intermediate place between the wealth and culture, the vice and misery of the West"(by Herbert Allen Giles). Under the guidance of this idea, translation conception and literariness in this period tower over those in the previous one. No sooner had they retired than diplomats and missionaries became Sinologists, committing themselves to translating and making Sinological researches at the end of the19th century, which laid a solid foundation for the English translation of Chinese cultural classics in the20th century.The English translations of works for children and literary works of Chinese cultural classics in the journals and Chinese-English dictionaries are the secondary clues in the19th century. The purpose of the English translation in the journals is to introduce China’s education and social life, and what’s more, to facilitate Christianity and Sinological researches. There existed two kinds of journals, that is, China-based and abroad-based. The translators were missionaries and diplomats who had lived in China for many years and their views had influenced the British and American readers’view of China, and even influenced their policies towards China, which played an important part in the contacts between China and Western countries. The English versions published on journals were mostly exacts with editor’s short comments.Translations found in Chinese-English dictionaries mainly come from the translation of Kangxi Dictionary and other dictionaries compiled by Chinese scholars in which there are many translation examples of Chinese cultural classics, which transmit Chinese culture to the West in an invisible way. Missionaries and diplomats must have referred to these dictionaries while they learned Chinese and translated Chinese cultural classics. So it is safe to say these dictionaries played an important role in helping establish their translation ideas.The concept of "translation of residential country" is proposed and defined in this dissertation. And the cultural mentality of the translators in the residential country, cooperation translation, patronage and publishing, cultural dissemination and so on are discussed. It is here found that the longer the translators lived in China, the more understanding of China they had, and thus the fewer colonial ideas they had. In translation, they emphasized the similarities of two cultures and showed the trend of cultural blend in their translations. In terms of efficiency,"hybridity" of translation may easily lead to "third space" proposed by Homi Bhabha, as well as academic innovation. In addition, it is proposed here that in the researches of classics translation theory, the practice of Chinese cultural classics translation should be given the priority as foundation, scriptural reasoning should be emphasized as methodology, broad vision and speculative spirit in the modern Western translation theories should be borrowed, and the existing theories of classics translation should be integrated so that the systematic translation theory of classics translation may be established.This dissertation probes into the English translation of Chinese cultural classics in the19th century in the frame work of the history of Chinese and Western civilization, and ends up with the conclusion that translation is practically a dialogue and communication between the two civilizations. This research is not only providing some reference for related studies in the field of history of cultural exchanges between China and the Western countries, Chinese modern history and so on, but also of great significance for Chinese culture to go into the world. What’s more, it is valuable for translation studies, re-translation of classics and the whole translation history of Chinese cultural classics.