Studies On English Translations Of TCM Terms Under Etiology And Pathogenesis

Based on the skopos theory, this thesis is a cross-cultural study on English translations of TCM terms under Etiology and Pathogenesis together with related pattern terms. The main materials include WHO International Standard Terminologies on Traditional Medicine in the Western Pacific Region released by WHO, International Standard Chinese-English Basic Nomenclature of Chinese Medicine by World Federation of Chinese medicine societies, relevant textbooks and dictionaries. The thesis fully elucidates the meaning of the original text, analyzes its English translation versions in detail, and points out that there are defects in both International Standards mentioned above, including mistranslations as a result of misunderstanding original texts, incomplete or ambiguous expressions, and inconsistency of terms. In the light of translation principles of the technical terms and those of the translation of TCM, the thesis modifies the original versions. It’s emphasized that for all the literature attributes of TCM, Traditional Chinese Medicine is by nature a science, and thus TCM terms must be translated in the way we translate documents of science and technology. This research aims to improve the quality of English translations of TCM terms, advocate the translation of deep meaning of terms and in-depth research, and to facilitate standardizing English translation of TCM terms.