Twentieth-Century Chinese Translation Theory
Modes, issues and debates
Past attempts at writing a history of Chinese translation theory have been bedeviled by a chronological approach, which often forces the writer to provide no more than a list of important theories and theorists over the centuries. Or they have stretched out to almost every aspect related to translation in China, so that the historical/political backdrop that had an influence on translation theorizing turns out to be more important than the theories themselves. In the present book, the author hopes to devote exclusive attention to the ideas themselves. The approach adopted centers around eight key issues that engaged the attention of theorists through the course of the twentieth century, in the hope that a historical account will be presented that is not time-bound. On the basis of 38 articles translated into English by teachers and scholars of translation, the author has written four essays discussing the Chinese characteristics of this body of theory. Separately they focus on the impressionistic, the modern, the postcolonial, and the poststructuralist approaches deployed by leading Chinese theorists from 1901 to 1998. It is hoped that publication of this book will make possible cross-cultural dialogue with translation academics in the West, although the general reader will find much firsthand information on Chinese thinking about translation.
[Benjamins Translation Library, 51] 2004. xvi, 277 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
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List of contributors | p. ix
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Preface | p. xiii
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Part I.
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Part II
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1. Responses to Yan Fu | p. 67
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2. Spiritual resonance | p. 91
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3. Art vs. science | p. 121
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4. The language of translation | p. 151
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5. Literal translation vs. sense-translation | p. 179
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6. The untranslatability of poetry | p. 201
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7. Translation theory for China | p. 223
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8. Creativity and translation | p. 249
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Index | p. 271
“This new book by Leo Chan is an important and much needed work which will help bridge the gap between different contexts of translation theorizing across the globe. It will be particularly useful for those interested in comparative studies of East-West translation studies. [...] The book breaks new ground by injecting valuable Chinese theories of translation into the domain of English scholarship in translation theories will benefit greatly from this anthology. Chinese scholars and students can also use it as a practical sample of translating translation theories from Chinese.”
Red Chan, University of Warwick, UK, in The Translator Vol. 11:2 (2005)
“This beautifully produced volume is extremely insightful and thought-provoking. One need not read it from cover to cover; readers will surely enjoy browsing through it, and feel free to start reading with any article. The reader's intellectual satisfaction is guaranteed. The volume successfully combines old and new answers, traditional and modern approaches, blending Eastern, metaphorical language with Western terminology. This volume has to be read slowly, and given the kind of attention that a wine-taster pays to a sip of good wine. Running through the pages fast is like driving on an eight-lane higway at full speed in the middle of a scenic, ancient landscape - we might get to our destination quickly, but we are sure to have missed the essence of the trip.”
Sándor Albert, University of Szeged, Hungary, in Perspectives Vol. 13:1 (2005)
Cited by (48)
Cited by 48 other publications
Brezzi, Alessandra
Luca, Dinu
Geng, Qiang
Sun, Yifeng
Xiao, Shuangjin
Chen, Xuemei
Chuang, Andrew H. C. & Haoran Yang
Tan, Hua
Venkatesan, Hari
Zhao, Guangxu
Huang, Chu-Ren & Xiaowen Wang
MADEN KALKAN, Çile
Qin, Jianghua
2020. Xu, Jun, ed. 改革开放以来中国翻译研究概论 (1978–2018) / Translation Studies in China since the Reform & Opening-up
(1978–2018).. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 32:3 ► pp. 507 ff.
Valdeón, Roberto A. & Youbin Zhao
Chan, Leo Tak-hung
2019. Chapter 4. Contemporary views of translation in China. In A World Atlas of Translation [Benjamins Translation Library, 145], ► pp. 81 ff.
Chen, Shih-Wen Sue
Han, Ziman
Tan, Zaixi
Assis Rosa, Alexandra
2018. Chapter 3.6. Forms and formats of dissemination of translation knowledge. In A History of Modern Translation Knowledge [Benjamins Translation Library, 142], ► pp. 203 ff.
Chen, Yehua
Gambier, Yves
2018. Chapter 1.1. Concepts of translation. In A History of Modern Translation Knowledge [Benjamins Translation Library, 142], ► pp. 19 ff.
Heller, Lavinia
Sayols, Jesús
2018. Transculturation and Bourdieu’s habitus theory. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 30:2 ► pp. 260 ff.
Tymoczko, Maria
Laviosa, Sara, Adriana Pagano, Hannu Kemppanen & Meng Ji
Susam-Saraeva, Şebnem
Zhu, Chunshen
Strafella, Giorgio
Klein, Lucas
Hu, Tingshu
Wang, Pu
Li, Ping
Wang, Baorong
Bai, Liping
Bai, Liping
D’hulst, Lieven
2010. Translation history. In Handbook of Translation Studies [Handbook of Translation Studies, 1], ► pp. 397 ff.
Munday, Jeremy
2010. Translation Studies. In Handbook of Translation Studies [Handbook of Translation Studies, 1], ► pp. 419 ff.
Munday, Jeremy
St. André, James
Chan, Tak-Hung Leo
Cheung, Martha P. Y.
Cheung, Martha P.Y.
Huang, Harry J. & Canzhong Wu
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 25 september 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.
Subjects
Translation & Interpreting Studies
Main BIC Subject
CFP: Translation & interpretation
Main BISAC Subject
LAN023000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Translating & Interpreting