A Three-Dimension Study On Three English Versions Of Tao Te Ching

Chinese classics plays an important role in cultural exchange.However,the quality of translations varies.This thesis has selected Tao Te Ching which stands for Chinese philosophy to do translation criticism to provide suggestions for better translation.This thesis has regarded translation process as a whole caused by culture and history.Instead of focusing on word to word translation,this thesis has conducted research based on observation and empirical study in one complete system of world-writer-translatorreader with textual analysis,dynamic and comparative analysis from the perspective of content,linguistic forms and reader response,which proposed by Xu Jun.Three English versions featured with characteristics have different translation purposes.They are from Arthur Waley,Roger.T.Ames,and Gu Zhengkun.Waley's version is the earliest and has great influence on readers;Gu's version is used as teaching material;the standpoint of Ames' version is anti-western cultural centralism.There is no translation criticism research has been conducted upon them.This thesis will find difficulties in translation process and corresponding solution to instruct further classics translation for better quality.This thesis will find translation strategies and conducted translation criticism from perspective of content and linguistic forms;then combine strategies with historical and cultural background to analyze translators' expected reader response;in the end the thesis will collect reader response and find suggestions for better translation.This thesis has found Gu's version has received the most positive feedback,while the number of his readers is the least.Ames' obscure version is in the second place,for he has a clear definition of his target readers.Waley's translation,the earliest one,received the lowest marks.Suggestions for better translating Chinese classics have been given based on those results.