Translingual Commensurability, Reciprocal Translatability And Translation Studies--Foreign Terms And Their Cultural Makings In Chinese Context

As an important branch of Comparative Literature, contemporary Translation Studies refer to a multicultural research of translation as a translingual communication practice in terms of cultural insight. From 1970s to 1990s, a large number of scholars in tradition of comparative literature, natural science, philosophy and so on have edged in the field of translation and, therefore, initiated a great revolution of paradigmatic transfer in translation studies. Thus translation has been much more than a question of Linguistic endeavors.Although it lays much claim to the possible attempt at "historical facts", the study does characterize itself by a transcendental approach to the "historical description of facts", and hence differs itself, to a great extent, from older traditions in its cultural orientation towards the study of translation as a science at the turn of a multicultural age. Generally people have believed that all languages can be translated reciprocally. But it seems impossible to translate languages transparently and to transmit different cultures transparently by means of language. Furthermore, terms in certain cultural background are corresponding to certain history, religions and so on.From this consideration then arise the following questions: How can Chinese and other languages be translated reciprocally in the process of history? At the beginning of 20th century some key words have been introduced to Chinese context, such as "individualism", "liberalism", "conservatism", "experience", "humanism". The terms chosen to be introduced to China had been rebuilt in the new context and therefore, had much influences on constructing Chinese paradigm of culture.The study has selected some key terms that appeared frequently in the journals at that time, attempting to analyze the exegesis of these words in both western and Chinese contexts. In addition, the course of translation and application of these terms have been disscussed in order to study the shaping influences and cultural makings in Chinese context.