| Shiqin is one of the nineteen chapters of Erya,the earliest known Chinese lexicographical and encyclopedic work.With a record of 107 ancient Chinese kinship terms in a systematic way,Shiqin lays the foundation of the studies on Chinese kinship terminology which has been developed for thousands of years.However,due to its lexicographical style,Shiqin has only been translated briefly in some studies on the Chinese kinship terminology.This study regards Shiqin as an independent chapter of Erya,trying to find a proper translation mode for this unique text under the guidance of thick translation theories.The study on the translation of Shiqin is an exploration into the ancient Chinese language and culture as well as an attempt to seek the translation mode of the ancient Chinese lexicographical work.In order to create a context for the original text,the study combines the linguistic and cultural study of the ancient Chinese kinship terminology with the translation study of the Shiqin text under the guidance of thick translation theories.The thick translation mode of Shiqin can be divided into two parts: local manoeuvres and structural manoeuvres.Local manoeuvres refer to the strategies applied in the translation of the kinship terms and their definitions in Shiqin,while structural manoeuvres refer to the strategies applied to interpret the original text and supplement the original text with instructive information in the translation.The local manoeuvres applied in Shiqin aim to preserve the lexicographical features of the original text by preserving the Chinese characters of the definienda in the translation,so as to extract the definienda from the original sentences and retain the characteristics of the Chinese kinship terms.The structural manoeuvres applied in Shiqin aim to illustrate the linguistic and cultural value of Shiqin in its English translation,so as to enable the target readers to have a deeper understanding of the original text and its associated culture.In order to reveal the linguistic and cultural value of the original text in the translation,the study employs “annotation” as the form of “structural manoeuvre” in the thick translation of Shiqin.What should be contained in the annotations of the English translation of Shiqin and their functions in enhancing the understanding of the target readers are the main focus of this study.Based on the previous studies and findings on the Chinese kinship terminology,the study further analyses the kinship terms in Shiqin from the morphological,Chinese etymological,and sociocultural perspectives,aiming to supplement the original text with rich linguistic and cultural information.According to the analysis of textual features of Shiqin and the linguistic and sociocultural studies of the kinship terms described in Shiqin,the study concludes a tentative translation mode for the Shiqin text. |
