James Legge’s Translation Of The Li Ki:Chinese Ancient Ritual In The Eyes Of A Sinologist

The Li Ki is a compilation of assorted texts in which are described Chinese ritual practices, which has had a far-reaching influence on later development of history and literature. However, its formidable volumes pose great difficulties to researchers, among which, related studies on its translations are sparse.Based on the Skopostheorie and in the light of theories related with the relationship between language, culture and translation, this thesis probes linguistically and culturally into Scottish missionary sinologist James Legge’s English version of The Li Ki, published by the Clarendon Press in1885. Through examination of the gain and loss on the lexical, syntactical and rhetorical levels, it is found that although in most cases, James Legge conveyed the original meanings faithfully, some mistakes are inevitable because of the tremendous differences between Chinese and English and the linguistic development of Chinese itself. And revised versions are also suggested according to the specific contexts. In cultural studies of the thesis, the translations of some culturally-loaded terms are illustrated and it can be sensed that James Legge had an almost thorough understanding of Chinese culture, and had formed systematic translation strategies towards these culturally-loaded terms. It is concluded that as translation is an action with a purpose, translator’s ideology and experience partially accounts for his or her understanding of the original text and his choices of translation strategies.