On Untranslatability Of Traditional Chinese Medical Terminology And Strategies For Its Transformation

As one of the most complicated human activities, translation is always full of contradictions, among which translatability and untranslatability are two most dominant ones. Translatability and untranslatability are relative and dynamic, and under certain conditions, untranslatability can be transformed to translatability. The untranslatability between two languages is caused by their linguistic disparities and cultural barriers. A great number of studies have been done on untranslatability, but few are about the translation of traditional Chinese medicine.Traditional Chinese medicine, the gem of traditional Chinese culture, has contributed greatly to the health of Chinese people. With the development of international exchanges, traditional Chinese medicine has been drawing more and more attention from foreign countries because of its evident effect and few side effects. However, due to its special theory and unique cultural background, untranslatability arises in its translation, especially the translation of its terminology. This thesis analyzes the reasons for the untranslatability of traditional Chinese medical terminology from both linguistic perspective and cultural perspective, aiming to call the translator's attention to the complexity and difficulty in its translation. On this basis, the author proposes strategies for the transformation from untranslatability to translatability, in the hope that more studies on this issue will be conducted, and the thesis will contribute to the translation of traditional Chinese medicine, and further to its spread.This thesis falls into six chapters. In Chapter One, a brief introduction is made on research background, research purpose and significance, and structure of this study. In Chapter Two, the development of untranslatability and the English translation of traditional Chinese medical terminology are reviewed. The theoretical foundations for untranslatability are analyzed in Chapter Three. In Chapter Four, reasons for the untranslatability of traditional Chinese medical terminology are demonstrated from linguistic perspective and cultural perspective. In Chapter Five, strategies for the transformation from untranslatability to translatability are proposed. The last chapter concludes the whole thesis.