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Part of
Key Cultural Texts in Translation
Edited by Kirsten Malmkjær, Adriana Şerban and Fransiska Louwagie
[Benjamins Translation Library 140] 2018
► pp. 171–184

Chapter 10
The cultural transformation of classical Chinese poetry in translation into English

This article considers the role of culture in the translation of classical Chinese poetry into English. It investigates in particular the level of untranslatability embedded in cultural elements, in view of the significant cultural differences between the source and target contexts for the texts concerned. The article illustrates mediation realised in cultural shifts and borrowing, and discusses further strategies such as annotation, implicit expressions, and literal and semantic translation.

Keywords: Chinese poetry, translation, cultural transformation, untranslatability
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The use of footnotes and annotations
  • 3.Tackling implicit poetic expressions
  • 4.Literal vs free renderings
  • 5.Mediation and borrowing between cultures
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 16 May 2018
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https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.140.10cha
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