On Chinese Classics Translation From The Perspective Of Cultural Translation Theory

Chinese classics translation, a concentrated reflection of Chinesetraditional culture, aims to construct global cultural diversity and to maintainethnic cultural identity. Recently, many scholars and translators conductresearch on Chinese classics translation. Although they have taken greatsteps forward, there are still many problems. An overview of the Chineseclassics translations both at home and abroad, especially the overseas ones,show that there are a substantial portion of Chinese classics analyzed,comprehended and translated on the basis of the standard of westernphilosophy, theology and moral philosophy. These translations cannot reflectthe history of the Chinese nation and China’s development faithfully.Besides, they cannot follow closely the theme and inner rule of Chinesevalue and ideology. Therefore, how to introduce our Chinese culture to theWestern world becomes a major debate.Homi K. Bhabha, a post-colonial theorist, thinks that the relationshipbetween the powerful culture of developed countries and the weak culture ofdeveloping countries should not be unequal. The former should not controland dominate the latter. His cultural translation theory is a strategy of culturesurvival praising the cultural diversity and cultural differences. It intends todeconstruct and demystify the classical cannon of the western imperialcolonialism, to diminish the Euro-American centrism and various ensuingbinary oppositions, to unmask the "progressiveness" and "universalism" ofwestern modernity, and to reconstruct the subjectivity of the Subaltern andthe "minorities" with the aspiration to help the latter to find their own voices,to enunciate their desires, and to have the "right to narrate". Bhabha’s cultural translation theory denies the way of understanding the original textin the light of the norms of the target language. Instead, he advocates thehybridity of different heterogeneous cultures and the construction of anambiguous "Third Space". Therefore, the element of one culture can beintroduced into another and hegemonism can be overthrown. At last, culturalexchange can be realized. The theory of cultural translation from Homi K.Bhabha is of important directive significance to Chinese classics translation.Therefore, this dissertation adopts Homi K. Bhabha’s culturaltranslation theory and uses the strategies of hybridity and the Third Space todiscuss that today’s translators should choose the cultural translation theoryto translate and advocate our profound Chinese classics faithfully. Therefore,Chinese extensive civilization can be understood and accepted by the wholeworld. At last, the cultural communication and exchange can be accelerated.The author of this dissertation adopts the English version of The Scholarstranslated by the Yangs as a case study to prove the desirability of culturaltranslation theory from three aspects, including cultural identity, culturalnorms and cultural level. Adopting cultural translation theory can maintainChinese cultural identity loyally and help keep the images of the sourcelanguage faithfully and preserve cultural identity and effectively convey theessence of Chinese culture.