Translating Model For English Translation Of Chinese Classics: An Approach Of The Evolutionary Theory Of Meaning

The evolutionary theory of meaning, proposed by Halliday & Matthiessen, is a new development of systemic functional linguistics(SFL). However, only a few Chinese scholars have a comprehensive survey of it, let alone apply it into the study of any other disciplines. The research on translating is one of the hardest topics of translation studies for it seems nearly impossible to give a concrete description of the operation mechanism in translators’ brain. Despite the challenge, scholars at home and abroad have worked on this topic by every means because they believe people can hardly get the essence of translation without understanding the process of translation activity. Studies specifically on the translating of Chinese Classics are, however, rarely noticeable. On the other hand, in the globalization context nowadays, the world is eager to learn more about Chinese traditional culture. Therefore, the present dissertation aims at building up a translating model for the English translation of Chinese Classics.As a theoretical base, chapter two first surveys the theoretical relationship between the evolutionary theory of meaning and life science, Vygotskian psychology and ancient China’s yin and yang theory. This leads to our discovery that the evolutionary theory of meaning draws upon not only the western cultural tradition but also the oriental philosophical ideologies, which suggests certain connection between this theory and our translating model research. Enlightened by the research achievements of the similarities and differences of Chinese and English in terms of sequence, figure and element, which make up the ideation base in the evolutionary theory of meaning, these three terms can be further used to describe the specific details of our translating model. Another important concept, grammatical metaphor(GM) of SFL, can be an effective way to build up meanings in target language.Cross-disciplinary perspective is a tradition in translation studies. Theories of different linguistic schools like psychological linguistics, cognitive linguistics(CL) and SFL have been widely borrowed into the study of translation and translating. Bell’s Model and Frame Operation Model are based on SFL and CL respectively. Our translating model for English translation of Chinese classics is improved in model realization, model check, terminology consistence and Chinese characteristics.The body part of this dissertation lies in chapter four and five. The goal of this present dissertation is to build up a translating model for English translation of Chinese classics. However, current Chinese classics translation studies have not just made due academic contributions but also created problems for themselves: first, the impossibility is still a curse; second, abundant borrowed theories but few creative ones; third, an apparent gap between theory studies and translation practices and last but not least, indifference to relative teaching methods. To solve these problems, chapter four first confines the study of translating model as a mid-scale theory instead of a macro or a micro theory so as to fill the gap between theory and practice. Then the features of the proposed translating model and the description of its different phases can improve the limitations of previous studies to a great extent. Four features of this model are listed. First, the very Chinese style yin and yang shape indicates the co-existence and co-effected relationship between all the phases in translating Chinese classics. The dark yin part represents the original text and the bright yang part target text, which indicates that translating Chinese classics is a process from the dark to the bright. Second, it highlights the concept enlightened by yin and yang theory that the signifier and the signified can shift under certain circumstance like in the translation process of Chinese Classics, which contains a process of intralingual translation and a process of interlingual translation. During intralingual translation, the original language is the ancient Chinese and the target language is modern Chinese, which serves as the original language in the interlingual translation. This special characteristic of Chinese Classics translation can be achieved in a better way while applying the concept of yin and yang. Third, it emphasizes the approach of back-translation to improve the translated text. The circle-shaped model suggests the importance of back-translation. Fourth, the theoretical base of this model, especially its meaning potential can reasonably explain the common phenomenon of different translated versions of the same original text in translation studies and further encourage translators of Chinese classics to work out more flexible and authentic English versions and thus improve the acceptance of the translation works among the target readers. Chapter four further explains five phases of this translating model in detail: based on the similarities of Chinese and English ideation bases; looking for the modern Chinese and English equivalences of ancient Chinese sequences, figures and elements; making meaning in the target language with the help of GM; developing the subjectivity of translators by linguistic approaches like thematic procession patterns and dynamic projection; and checking the translation by back-translating. These five phases are not operated one by one or isolated. They are co-related and can go back and forward from time to time as needed.Empirical approach to check the effectiveness and feasibility of this translating model is the main idea of chapter five. Classic works of Zhong Yong is applied as the original text. With the reference of three English versions, 40 MTI students from Soochow University are randomly selected to translate two paragraphs from Zhong Yong. The survey of their translations of three core terms, Dao, Junzi, Cheng, two clauses and two complex clauses from these chosen paragraphs helps to reveal the common difficulties and problems in Chinese classics translation. Together with the questionnaire of pre-translating and after-translating questions, the 40 subjects have exhibited positive feedback toward the proposed translating model for its effectiveness during translation. The questionnaire also shows some suggestions that can be drawn to improve the teaching methods of Chinese Classics translation.The need for English translation of Chinese classics is inevitable in today’s globalized context. The relative research of translating model can accelerate the process of spreading traditional Chinese culture to the world and the evolutionary theory of meaning serves as a great help in this study.