A Study On Strategies For The Translation Of The Three-Character Classic From The Perspective Of Memetics

The Three-Character Classic, one of the traditional primers for teaching children to read in ancient China, is regarded as a remarkable classic by one generation after another and has never stopped spreading. This book covers a wide range of knowledge, not only the basic knowledge on education, ethics, literature, history, philosophy, astronomy and geography, but also the account of filial piety and righteousness, Confucian classics and well-known historical figures. Since the 17th century, The Three-Character Classic has been translated into different languages and reached out to the world. As a traditional Chinese classic, The Three-Character Classic shoulders the responsibility of disseminating Chinese civilization to the whole world. The study on its English translation has aroused extensive attention of the scholars, which is of great significance for the translation of Chinese classics.The discussion on translation strategies for The Three-Character Classic is not a new topic; however, with the rapid development in academic studies as well as the cultural blending, a relatively new perspective for further study and analysis should be made to re-energize the research. Memetics, as an emerging theory in China, is based on Darwin’s evolutionary theory in an attempt to explain the evolution laws of culture. The language itself can be deemed as a system consisting of memes. Hence, The Three-Character Classic is equally a kind of meme. And this new perspective of memetics may provide the translation research with some new revelation and interpretation. This thesis discusses strategies for the translation of The Three-Character Classic from the perspective of memetics, focusing on the use of domestication and foreignization strategies in the English version of The Three-Character Classic. The conclusions of this thesis have been made as follows:(1) Observed from the perspective of memetics, both domestication and foreignization are essential in the translation of The Three-Character Classic. Domestication translation seeks in the English language the expressions similar to the core memes in Chinese to increase the readability of the translated text and the acceptance of the other culture, while foreignization translation faithfully replicates memes in Chinese, retains the original flavor and exoticism of the source language and fulfills the target culture. (2) At the beginning of memes transmission, domestication translation is indispensable, because target readers in that period are not familiar with Chinese culture, and it seems difficult for them to decode and absorb cultural memes. (3) Foreignization translation may be increased as the exchange between Chinese and Western language and cultures keeps growing. Where neither domestication nor foreignization can provide a favorable solution to meme transmission, a combination of the both strategies is recommended to compensate for the defects from either strategy.