Studies On Missionaries' Sci-Tech Translation Activities In The Late Ming And Early Qing Period

Science and technology play an important role in the development of human culture. Likewise, the sci-tech translation also plays an indispensable role and has made a great contribution to the development and prosperity of human beings. Sci-tech translation is an essential part of the whole translation system. Therefore, the study on it has its due value and significance to attract more attention.Though there were some scattered research before, the systematic research of China's translation history began in the 1980s, after which various relevant monographs came out. The studies on the sci-tech translation history are still weak now. Most of the translation studies, although the genres of the texts are not specified, are about the literary translation and other genres except the sci-tech translation. Most of the existing research on the sci-tech translation is about translation skills.This paper, taking into consideration the background of China's social, cultural and scientific and technological development in modern times, lays emphasis on the missionaries'sci-tech translation activities in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. This paper attempts to make a study on the factors that influenced missionaries' translation activities, which include the then Chinese and overseas social and economic situations, the governmental policy, missionaries'motives, translators'personal factors and so on. The paper points out some characteristics of their translation from the aspects of the selection of original materials, variation of the translation manner, translation views and strategies. Furthermore, this paper examines the impact of missionaries' sci-tech translation activities on the Chinese traditional culture, education, science and technology, and ideology.Since Matteo Ricci came to China in 1582, missionaries translated and introduced plenty of western works and advanced knowledge in the more than 200 years in order to attract Chinese to Catholicism. Most of these western works involved fields in natural sciences, such as astronomy, mathematics, geography, physics, military, medicine and so on. The science and technology brought in improved the development of the social productive forces in China at that time.The missionaries'translation activities were governed by their purpose, and they just wanted to use the scientific knowledge to conceal their real purpose. In fact, their missionary work in China was not as successful as what they had expected, but the western science they brought in objectively exerted a positive influence on China's many fields.Firstly, the large-scale translation activities enabled Chinese intellectuals to get in touch with the natural science knowledge besides the traditional learning and promoted the development of Chinese science and technology, which was then almost in stagnation. Their activities spurred a transient prosperity in the Chinese scientific circle and also set off the reflection on traditional norms and practice in Chinese education and science. Later new educational thoughts that were totally different from traditional ones were put forward and the revolution of traditional education began, which deeply influenced the traditional education contents, methods, notions and value orientation.Secondly, the new knowledge broadened the Chinese horizon in the natural science and human science. Meanwhile, the freshly-brought knowledge, as a shock to the Chinese traditional concept of the universe, their ideology and values, exerted a great influence on people's knowledge structure.Thirdly, missionaries introduced many new concepts and expressions through translation activities, which had great influence on the development of Chinese language. The meaning of some words experienced great changes during this period and their new meanings are still in use at present.Though the missionaries'translation activities did promote China's development to some extent, their activities did not lead to the modernization of Chinese science and technology. The research finds that there were reasons contributive to that situation. The main reason was that the Chinese capitalism was still in the bud and in the aspect of social system there were not either objective or mature conditions to lead to a scientific revolution. Furthermore, the Chinese feudal rulers and the governmental policy imposed restrictions to the translation activities. Besides, the close relationship between the Jesuits and the western colonialists and their goal to spread the religion also placed restrictions on the science and technology they brought along to China.