A Study On English Translation Of Xiao(?) From The Perspective Of Fusion Of Horizons

Of all the virtues in traditional Chinese culture,Xiao(?)comes first.Xiao plays an important role in Chinese culture and history.As one of the significant core conceptional words,Xiao has been carried forward for thousands of years.The richness of its connotation brings a great challenge to translators both at home and abroad.Many studies have focused on the translation of the core conceptional words,amongst which those on Ren(?)and Li(?)account for the most.By contrast,the translation studies on Zhong(?)and Xiao are quite scarce.The present study chooses Xiao as the subject.Hans-Georg Gadamer proposed the concept of ‘fusion of horizons' as part of his philosophy of hermeneutics.In translation studies,it can be thought of as relevent in respect of the dialogue or negotiation between the translator and the original text.In the process of interpretation,the idea of “fusion of horizons” occurs twice.Different horizons and degrees of fusion lead to the differences of interpretation and translations to the same works.The present study aims to analyze the reasons why the English translations of Xiao are different in the versions of The Analects of Confucius by James Legge,Ku Hungming,D.C.Lau and Roger T.Ames and Henry Rosemont,and the Classics of Filial Piety by James Legge,Arthur Waley and Roger T.Ames and Henry Rosemont.It aims to explain how the fusion of horizons concept influences the translation of Xiao through exploring the translator's horizon,the original text's horizon and the horizon gap between the target-language culture's and the original text's.The implications brought by the application of fusion of horizons in the translation of Confucian classics is also demonstrated.The study shows that fusion of horizons has a great effect on translation.The translator's horizon determines the interpretation of the original text,as well as the translation purposes and translation strategies.Meanwhile,the original text's horizon also influences the translaor's interpretation and translation.The translations of Xiao by missionaries,sinologists and overseas Chinese are marked with the effect of fusion of horizons,in that translators are subjected to their own horizons,the horizon of target language reader and the original text's horizon.Since the ideal fusion of horizons can not be reached,the translations without fully express its original meanings again may lead to the western readers' misunderstanding of Xiao or their understanding gap between the translation and the original meaning of Xiao.However,the theory of fusion of horizons provides a theoretical basis for the diversity of translation and shows how it is necessary to maintain an open-minded attitude to the translation of Confucian classics.Doing so will not only reinforce understanding of culture,but also achieve a better translation,which may work to promote cultural dissemination.