A Comparative Study On Annotations Of Two English Versions Of Lunyu From The Perspective Of "horizon Of Expectation"

Annotations are indispensible in literary translation. It is mainly used to help the readerto remove cultural barriers and to appreciate the profundity of exotic culture. Though it hasbeen widely applied to literary translation, the relevant research is limited to the study ofgeneral annotation principles and strategies. Recent years witness a rapid development ofChinese classics translation, and annotation, as an inseparable part of translation, receivesmuch more attention than before. Many contemporary translators repeatedly emphasize thecrucial role that the annotation plays in providing supplementary information to the text anddisseminating culture. However, researchers seldom study it under a specific theoreticalframework.Lunyu, a Confucian classic that has influenced China’s civilization for more than2,000years, undoubtedly becomes the focus of Chinese classics translation. English versions ofLunyu keep emerging but relevant studies, though flourishing, are still confined to thefollowing aspects: versions comparison, translator studies, comments on translation andproofreading, translation dissemination as well as key concepts research. Annotations studiesof Lunyu have all along been in a marginalized position.This thesis focuses on two English versions of Lunyu, one by Waley, a prestigiousBritish sinologist, and the other by Lin Wusun, an experienced translator in China. The theory“horizon of expectation” has been applied to do a comparative analysis on their annotations inorder to find out the reasons accounting for annotation differences between the two versions.This thesis first delineates the scope of annotations in each version and then gives a briefdescription to each annotation part. Three major functions have been extracted for annotationclassification in order to lay a foundation for the comparative study. Annotation comparisonhas been carried out from three perspectives. The first one is the translator’s “horizon ofexpectation”, which is mainly related to the translator’s cultural identity. Waley’s identity as aprestigious sinologist and Lin Wusun’s identities as an interpreter, publishing worker andsupervisor of the press led to the annotation differences in the two versions. The second one isthe target reader’s “horizon of expectation”. The focus of this part is the reader’s differentexpectations. Waley’s annotations are mainly researcher-oriented while Mr. Lin’s annotations are common reader-oriented, which also contributes to the annotation differences in the twoversions. The third one is the patron’s “horizon of expectation”. This part mainly deals withthe publisher’s expectations. Publishers’ different publishing concepts and traditionsconstitute another reason for the annotation differences. During the analysis, the author alsofinds out some annotation merits and demerits in the two versions, based on which threesuggestions have been proposed to guide the annotation practice of Lunyu’s and other classics’translation: Firstly, annotations should be based on a thorough study of the ST. Secondly,annotations should be based on a careful examination of the readers’ needs. Thirdly,annotation should be based on a proper control of the patron’s manipulation.