| Taoism is a religion originated in China,which is also a significant component of Chinese traditional culture.The translation of Taoism history can help foreign readers comprehend Taoist culture.This study selects the third chapter of A Brief History of Taoism in China as translation material.Guided by Eco-translatology,the translator analyzes the translation of the selected material from the linguistic,cultural and communicative dimensions.Eco-translatology is an ecological approach to translation studies.The process of translation is a process of adaptation and selection.The principle of translation is selective adaptation and adaptive selection in multiple dimensions.The translation method is “three-dimensional” transformation.In linguistic dimension,this study analyzes the transformation of language form.Addition of the subject,voice conversion and nominalization are used to make the target text conform to the expression habit of English.In cultural dimension,this study analyzes the translation of Taoist terms and culture-loaded words.In communicative dimension,this study discusses the selection of omission and addition,literal translation and liberal translation.The study concludes as follows: firstly,the translation eco-environment,including language differences,cultural diversity,readers’ background knowledge and other aspects will influence translators’ adaptive selection.Secondly,translators should flexibly adopt different translation methods and make adaptive selection in three dimensions.In order to retain and transfer the religious culture,material culture and social culture in the original text,annotation,transliteration and substitution and other translation methods should be adopted.To avoid information redundancy and further explain context,omission and amplification should be adopted.The combination of literal translation and liberal translation can reflect the Taoist thoughts behind the original text and achieve communicative intention.Meanwhile,it is found that these three dimensions are interwoven,whichplay a synergistic role in guiding translators to get the optimal target text.Guided by Eco-translatology,this study analyzes the English translation of Taoist historical text from three dimensions,verifies the feasibility of Eco-translatology in guiding the translation of Taoist historical text,and provides a new research perspective for the translation of Taoist historical text. |
