On Research-based Translation Of Terminology In Chinese Classics

Terminology in Chinese Classics(TCC)signifies the core concepts in Chinese classics,which crystallize the wisdom and thoughts of the Chinese nation and fully reflect the Chinese people's mentality and thinking habits.TCC exhibits the common features of specialized terms in general,but it also has some distinctive features of traditional Chinese ideological and cultural terms.The treatment of TCC is an important part in the actual practice of translating Chinese classics into other languages,which is critical to the introduction of thoughts in Chinese Classics to the outside world.The Chinese Classics are usually characteristic of ideological,historic and cultural traits,and the complexity of their translation is self-evident.During the translation of Chinese Classics,TCC not only constitutes the knowledge unit that carries the thoughts,but also the language unit of constructing the discourse of the thoughts.Moreover,it serves as the communicative unit that influences the dissemination of the thoughts.So,the translation of TCC is essentially the process of cross-language and cross-culture exchange or transmission of knowledge and thoughts,and the validity depends on the translator's full understanding of the connotation of the terms in the source language and the renaming of the terms in the target language.Due to the special complexities of terms at the conceptual,linguistic and communicative levels,the translation of TCC puts forward higher requirements for translators in language competence,knowledge reserve and cultural literacy.A research-based translation from the perspective of terminology is needed so as to better explain the traditional Chinese knowledge and cultural connotation contained in TCC.In other words,the translation of TCC is by no means a simple word conversion,which in fact depends on the translator's Research-based Translation(RBT).Though there is a general consensus on the research-based characteristics of the translation practice of Chinese classics among the scholars in China,there is no special discussion on the research required by the translation practice of TCC.The related concepts remain unclarified and unexplored.This study focuses on the particularity of Research-based Translation of terminology in Chinese classics(RBTTCC),and it is an attempt made to explore the specific connotations and practical methods,and provides theoretical grounding and concrete methods for RBTTCC.Hopefully,this study will be of real help to Chinese-English translators in their translation of Chinese classics,the terminology in particular.As for the concept of RBT,it is frequently mentioned in the existing literature,but not clearly defined.Moreover,there are also cases in which similar terms like Scholarly Translation,Thick Translation and Thoughtful Translation coexist.The author of the present dissertation situates the current study within the body of the relevant literature and makes a detailed discussion on the theoretical basis of RBTTCC in a top-down approach.This study draws on the theory of modern communicative terminology,starting from the particularity of translation of terminology in Chinese classics and combining with the relevant research resources such as translation studies and cross-cultural communication,constructs an preliminarily analytical framework for the practical dimensions of RBTTCC,which lays an analytical foundation for the bottom-up research based on textual analysis.On the basis of the analytical foundation,this author analyzes the representative Chinese classic Lü Shi Chun Qiu(LSCQ)and compares the terms and their specific characteristics of RBT in the three existing English translations.LSCQ is one of the most representative works in Chinese classics,which has been translated in the English world in different degrees since the 1980 s due to its high ideological and cultural values.During the first decade of the 21 st century,there were three different complete translations available in the English world.Due to the translators' different education backgrounds and professional identities,the three translations display different treatments to the translation of core terms.Moreover,there are obvious differences in the application of RBT.By close reading of the texts and comparative analysis of the data,this study makes a complete and thorough discussion on the characteristics of RBT practice in the three English translations.Then,an evaluation is made on the characteristics of RBT,and a demonstration with the help of the research of related sub-texts is further taken at the last step.Finally,based on the textual analysis,the author of the present study attempts to construct a practical model for RBTTCC,which is expected to be of reference value for the future translation of TCC.In the study of LSCQ and the English translations of its terminology,the author focuses on four specific questions as the following:(1)What are the major features of the core terms and their systems in the text of LSCQ? in the conceptual,linguistic and communicative dimensions respectively?(2)Compared with the particularities of the terms in the original text of LSCQ and its system,what are the features of the translated terms and their systems in the three English translations? Which translation is more in line with RBT in terms of term translation?(3)What specific factors have effected the translation more in line with RBT? How have those factors affect the term translation and the translation quality of LSCQ?(4)Based on the study of the translation of the core terms and their systems,how can a practical model for RBTTCC be constructed? The specific findings are as follows:(1)With“Monarch Ruling”as the top field of the term conceptual system of LSCQ,a number of secondary fields of term conceptual systems are derived.In each secondary field,various terms of expressing the core ideas and thoughts construct an implicit network of ideas,concepts and knowledge as a whole.Among the core terms,“king(?)”,“minister(?)”and“citizen(?)”are the most frequent terms,followed by“earth(?)”,“affair(?)”,“reason(?)”and other terms or quasi-terms.There is a clear hierarchical relationship within all the terms.Many of the core terms in LSCQ embody the concrete thoughts of Hundred Schools(??),some altering in the form,some remaining the original form,and they constitute a complex network relationship in the conceptual system.The linguistic particularity of the core terms is mainly manifested in the diversity of forms.Some are the one-character terms commonly used in all kinds of pre-Qin Chinese classics,some are the double-character terms derived from the Hundred Schools,and some are the neat and concise quasi-terms.Though different in the frequencies and emphases,all those terms play important roles in constructing the discourse of governance in LSCQ.The particularity of the core terms in context reflects the fundamental views of the scholars on the operation and governance of the universe,the society and the state.Essentially,they are deeply influenced by the contemporary communicative contexts,namely,the textual context of LSCQ,the situational context of producing LSCQ and the cultural context of the Warring States Period.(2)Among the three English translations of LSCQ,the collaborative translation by the two sinologists John Knoblock and Jeffrey Riegel is more characteristic of RBT,which is natural and clear in the presentation of the terms and their systematicity;the Chinese scholar Zhai Jiangyue's translation is “thick” in form,but is rather vague in the presentation of the terms and their systematicity;the Senior Translator Tang Bowen's translation is concise and delicate,which attaches much importance to the prominence of terms and their systematicity.Meanwhile,all the three translations give a good performance in conceptual systematicity of the terminology in the source text,in particular,the collaborative translation and Tang's translation are well-aware of the correspondence between the original and the target.However,in terms of systematicity and consistency on a linguistic level,the effect of the collaborative translation is better while Tang's and Zhai Translations are not well done.What's worse,Zhai's translation ignores the systematicity of the linguistic representation and lacks the consistency of important terms in most cases.In regards to the communicative adaptability,both the collaborative translation and Tang's translation give better performances.However,unfortunately,Zhai in his translation practice does not make necessary adaptation to the communicative environment of terminology use,in which there is room for considerable improvement.(3)The influencing factors of RBT for the terms in LSCQ are multi-dimensional and complex,which,on the whole,can be summarized as the comprehensive influence of in-text factors(within the translated text),out-text factors(the parallel texts related to the translated text)and cross-text factors(the versions at different times or the similar kind of the translated text).However,the influence of a certain factor on different translations varies.As a translator,his/her own capacity determines whether he/she is able to realize these possible influencing factors in the process of translation,and make the comprehensive judgment from the multi-dimensional perspectives such as conceptual cognition,linguistic representation and communicative context,on the basis of the unique functions of TCC.The translators with adherence to the practice of RBT will attach much importance to the relevance of the terms with other contemporary texts,and take into account the translation of the TCC in the similar or related texts at different times.Therefore,the translation process is much more complicated than the general translation process,which involves not only a great deal of translation practice but also the investigations and studies of relevant texts.And all the investigations and studies are critically important to the term translation in the translated text.In view of the explorations on the grounds of RBT,the core terms of LSCQ and their English translations,this study is attempted to construct a Research-based terminology translation model for translating Chinese classics into other languages.First,it is necessary to have a research preparation and planning prior to the translation,which focuses on the interpretation of the source text terminology and its system,mainly involving text-producing background,text formation,the main ideological features,historical and contemporary value,and collection of terms.Secondly,specific considerations should be taken amid the translation process,which focuses on the reconstruction of the terminology and its system in the target language,including the collection of core terms,study of the factors within the text,study of the factors between the parallel texts and study of the factors among the translated text at different times or the similar kind.Thirdly,necessary evaluation and perfection should be carried out after the translation,which refers to the deliberation on the communicative effectiveness of the term translation,including the conceptual systematicity,linguistic consistency and communicative adaptability.To conclude,this study bases its exploration on the conceptalization of RBTTCC,takes the term translation in three translations of LSCQ as examples,and illustrates the practical methods of RBTTCC and other studies related to it.In this study,the research methods applied include literature analysis,close reading of the text,comprehensive comparative analyses,and both qualitative and quantitative methods are well used.As a summary of all the explorations,a procedural practical model for RBTTCC is constructed at the end,hoping it can be used as a reference in the future translation of TCC.