Study Of TCM Terminology Translation From The Prospective Of Memetics

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), as a treasure and wisdom of Chinese people culturally, is based on a sophisticated system having theoretical, diagnostic, medication and prescription methods thousands of years of practice and research. With the economic and cultural development in recent years, the importance and influence of TCM have been enhanced significantly at international level. TCM translation which driven by people’s demand of TCM therapy, has transformed from the previous disorder to a well-organized and scale-based. Many translators revealed that it is difficult to find a proper corresponding word in the target language for certain TCM terminology in the source language. Besides, the terminology as a central part of TCM theoretical system, it has philosophical and cultural implication which also produces some difficulties in the translation. The different translation of the same terminology will not only hinder the transmission and development of TCM but also create confusion in the cultural transmission of China eventually.In this study, an effort was made to interpret the process of TCM terminology translation from perspective of memetics. Following the Darwin’s evolutionary theory, memetics, is a new theory for interpreting meme transmission and the law of culture evolution; Richard Dawkins was the first person who mentioned word "meme" in his book "The Selfish Gene", meme was defined as the factors (such as language, conception, belief and behavioral patterns) relative to the transmission that are similar to the genes functioning during the biological evolution. After him, Blackmore extended the concept of meme information which can be replicated by "imitation"(called in a broad sense), whereas Chesterman, a scholar from Finland at first proposed the concept of meme translation. According to him, translation meme refers to the concept or viewpoint on translation as well as the translation theory which is formed during the translation process. It is well agreed by the researchers that translation plays an important role in the cross-cultural communication.It is difficult to preserve the distinctive characteristics of TCM terminology and spontaneously ensure its well understanding for the foreigners. It is believed that the western scholars/readers cannot understand clearly the essence of TCM if they use western words and adopt the theory of modern Western Medicine. Only through representing TCM’s distinctive features, can the transmission of TCM be spread widely. This paper includes five chapters, the first chapter of which is the introduction. It introduces the study background, theoretical basis and research purpose.The second chapter is literature review which presents the concepts of terminology; TCM terminology was introduced first and then the translation of TCM terminology. Then the concept of memtics and its application are also particularly described:(1). The origination of meme, the extended connotation of meme, the proposal of translation meme, and the proposal of memetics in the process of cultural evolution were presented;(2). The necessary factors(fecundity, longevity, copying-fidelity) of successful meme are discussed.Chapter three presents the research methods.Chapter four focuses on the TCM terminology translation from the perspective of memetic theory. And the principles that the translators invented to follow are projected, such as is nationalization, simplification, prescription and inter-textuality. Great significance is placed on the standardization of translation for the transmission of meme of TCM terminology.Chapter five presents the conclusion and the findings; the limitations of this research are also mentioned here.