"The Beginning Of Oriental Studies" (excerpt) Translation Practice Report

The oriental historiography in Japan grows out of a special historical background,which is closely related to its nationalism,unrest to separate from Asia and expansionism policies,also impacting significantly on the modern history and Sino-Japan communication history.This dissertation is a practice report based on the translation object of Start of Oriental Studies Naka Michiyo and His Age,a work by Kushiro Yoichi.This book provides certain historical basis for the study into the development veins,academic tendency and political intentions of oriental studies.The fourth chapter,Founding of the General History of China selected by the translator,introduces in detail the inception as well as its historical background of oriental historiography and plays a vital role in the whole study in this area.The translation of historical texts related to oriental historiography requires the familiarity with relevant historical and cultural backgrounds so as to render the cultural information in the context faithfully.However,the cultural translation theory of Bassnett advocates to place translation in a broader cultural and historical context and appreciate the transformation and equivalence of cultural factors therein.The translator believes that its cultural study pattern is of significant enlightenment to the translation of historical texts of oriental historiography.Consequently,Bassnett's cultural translation theory is selected by the translator to be the guide of this translation practice report.Nevertheless,due to the cultural differences between two languages,cultural loss is unavoidable in translation,which fails to achieve cultural functional equivalence.It is for this reason that the translator has adopted compensation strategies such as free translation,domestication and annotation etc.under the guidance of cultural translation theory.Specially,compensation for cultural losses of translation is made from three levels of semantics,culture and aesthetics in an attempt to realize cultural transformation to the utmost extent.