Research And Exploration Of Translation Principles

This thesis is to make a research and exploration on the principles of translation, which were presented by different kinds of translation theorists, translators and scholars from the ancient to the present times at home and abroad. The main goal is to find out and explore some common rules which may be abided by and followed by translators and translation theorists. Besides, it is expected to give some enlightenment to the readers of this thesis.Both in China and in the West, the large and early scale translation activities began over three thousand years ago and began from the translating of religious works. Many famous translators and translation theorists appeared from the religious world such as Buddhism and Judaism. In the process of translating, most of them talked about and discussed on the theory of translation, especially the principles of translation.In ancient China, there were a lot of famous translators and translation theorists including Yan Cong (彦琮), Zhi Qian (支谦), Dao An (道安), Kuramajiva (鸠摩罗什), Xuan Zang(玄奘) and so on who were both famous translators translating a large number of Buddhist scriptures and translation theorists making great contribution to the theory of translation, especially to the principles of translation.In Modern China and the contemporary times, with the developing of translation enterprise, numerous outstanding translators and translationtheorists sprang up like mushrooms who have made great contributions to the theory of translation and the principles of translation such as Liang Qichao 0&JB&), Yan Fu (T*%), Ma Jianzhong (^g&), Lin Shu (#￡f), Lu Xun (#ffl), Qu Qiubai (|I#C&), Lin Yutang (#?#.)> Fu Lei (fill), Qian Zhongshu (Hfct'^and so on.In the west, from the ancient times many famous translators and translation theorists also made their profound research on the theory of translation and the principles of translation. For example, Quintius Horatius Flaccus ($ife$T 65—8 B.C), a very famous poet and translation theorist, who opposed the principle of metaphrase translation and put forward the principle of sense for sense translation; St. Jerome (1§^M 347—420 B.C), an outstanding translator and translation theorist who not only finished the translating of the Holy Bible into Latin but also issued his four principles of translation.In the modern times (from the 17th century to the beginning of the 20lh century), a lot of expert translators and translation theorists appeared in many countries of the west. This period was called "unparalleled golden age" for translation theory. The representatives of translation theorists included Perrot Ablancourt (tl ? W6^J$) and Charles Batteux (EfB 1713—1780) in Frannce, M. V. Lomonosov (^WM^.^: 1711—1765) and V. G. Belinsky (^J^gfrS 1811—1848) in Russia, Alexander Fraser Tytler (S#fj 1747—1814) and Francis W. Newman (MS 1805—1897) in Britain, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (ffcfil 1749—1832) and Wilhelm von Humboldt (i-ft Ji 1767—1835) in Germany. All of them made deep research on the principles of translation and make great contributions to the principlesof translation from different aspects. The 20th century (the contemporary age) was regarded as "the Translation Times" by Peter Newmark who summarized seven great achievements in the translation world of the West. During this period we can list a lot of expert translators and learned translation theorists of the west such as Benedetto Croce {^3^r 1866—1952) in Italy, Walter Penjamin (^-fa^M 1892—1940) in Germany, J. P. Postgate in Britain etc. After World War II, different kinds of translation schools in the west sprang up like mushrooms mainly including The Prague School represented by Roman Jakobson (JlnT^iS:, 1896—1982), the London School represented by John Catford t?#$I1§), American Structuralism School represented by C. F. Voegelin s 1906— ), Dwight Bolinger ($#>&) and W. V. Quine (^JS), Communicative Theory School represented by Eugene A. Nida (jt& * ^ii, 1914— ), and Russian Literary School and Linguistic School of Translation Theories represented by ^M^^t.