A Comparative Study Of Two Chinese Bible Versions-the CUV And The TCV

The Bible, as the canon of Christianity, is not only an important part of the Western culture, but also has significant influence on Chinese culture through the thousand-year history of Chinese Bible translation. However, this long and important history, during which various versions were produced, still remains unknown to many people, including scholars in translation. For most people, Christians and non-Christians alike, the Chinese Bible equals the Chinese Union Version (the CUV). Though it has been the most popular version in China for nearly a century since its publication, the principles and methodologies which guided the translation process of it are new to many people. However, Today's Chinese Version (the TCV) published in the 1970s did not arouse much attention of Chinese readers, though its translators had claimed to have produced a version for non-Christians which made up the majority of Chinese population.Based on the problems and gaps of research mentioned above, this thesis aims to find out the differences between the two versions and trace the development of Chinese Bible translation. In Chapter One, the history of Chinese Bible translation is examined, with the intention to explore the shifts of principles and methodologies under which various versions were produced. These principles and methodologies also pave the way for the CUV and the TCV. Chapter Two studies the principles which guided the translating processes of the two versions. In Chapter Three, the author conducts a comparative analysis of the New Testament texts of the two versions in many aspects, including the language, treatments of theological terms, metaphors and gender, etc. Through the comparative study, the features of the two versions are made clear, which explain, to some extent, the different acceptances on the readers' part. In order to obtain first-hand materials about readers' responses to the two versions, the author conducted two questionnaires for Chinese Christians and non-Christians. The results of the questionnaires are analyzed in Chapter Four.Through the comparative study and the analysis of readers' responses to the two versions, the author concludes that the CUV will continue to be the most popular one in China. Based on the analysis, the author also provides suggestions for improvements of the two versions and future translations.