An Analysis And Counter Viewpoint Of A Western Medical English Translation Of Chinese Medicine

Although the history of Chinese medicine can traced as far back as 5000 years, and Chinese medicine has been transmitted to the West since the Tang dynasty, the greatest extent of inroads to the West has been limited to the past 20 or so years. Yet, within that time, many varying forms of translating methods have been proposed and utilized, making the translation of Chinese medicine a specialized field without a standardized terminology.In the search for an adequate corresponding vocabulary that might provide an alternative to creating a whole new translation method and specialized vocabulary, the Western medical translation model has been used widely, especially in China. This paper looks at this method of Chinese medicine translation and analyzes its value as a viable translation option.After a brief background demonstrating the lack of a current standard in Chinese medicine English, the Western medical translation modality is dissected. Its characteristics are stated, as well as its popularity sustaining rationale. In light of the fact that Chinese medicine translators often solely concentrate on the linguistic aspects involved, this paper also discusses the role of historical and political factors.The differences between Chinese and Western languages and cultures which is often blamed for the difficulty in translating are examined in terms of their medical, historical, and cultural differences. Through this analysis, it is concluded that a Western medical translation leads to end products that attempt to convey more information than needed, thus obscuring the flexibility of the metaphor in Chinese medicine.Lastly, though a detailed presentation of a proposed new translation method is beyond the scope of this paper, the author submits a principle of translation -one in which the English reader may see Chinese medicine in the same light as a Chinese reader. This proposed translation principle places the reader's experience of Chinese medicine at the forefront and suggests that a strong translation is one that can transmit Chinese medicine's metaphorical ideology across cultural and linguistic boundaries.