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Article published In:
Target
Vol. 11:2 (1999) ► pp.223–243

The Role of the Foreign Translator in the Chinese Translation Tradition, 2nd to 19th Century

| Research Centre for Translation, CUHK

This is the first comprehensive study of the crucial role non-Chinese translators played in China's translation history. Drawing from records of three peak periods of translation activities in China, some dating back to as early as the mid-2nd century, the author presents the case of China's traditional reliance on foreign assistance in culturally important translation work, and argues that this was a direct result of the norms within mainstream Chinese culture. The article also explains how China's translation tradition underwent a dramatic change at the turn of the 20th century, and the disruptive effects this has had on translation scholarship.

Article outline
  • I.Introduction
  • II.The Foreigners' Role as Translators and Interpreters
  • III.The Sutra Translation Movement
    • A.The Western Region
    • B.The Rise of Indian Monks
    • C.The Case of Chinese Translators
    • D.The Traditional View: True or False?
    • E.Numbers vs. Influence
  • IV.Translators of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
    • A.The Dominance of the Jesuits
    • B.The Late-Qing Scene
    • C.Leading Western Translators
  • V.A Revolution in Cultural and Translational Norms
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • Glossary of Chinese Names and Titles
  • Selected Bibliography
Published online: 24 March 2000
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/target.11.2.03hun
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Guo, Huarui
2023. How a translation impacts its translator. Translation and Interpreting Studies DOI logo
Lung, Rachel
2014. The Importance of Translation in Xuanzang’s Life. FORUM. Revue internationale d’interprétation et de traduction / International Journal of Interpretation and Translation 12:1 ► pp. 79 ff. DOI logo
Wang, Baorong
2012. Translation Practices and the Issue of Directionality in China. Meta 56:4 ► pp. 896 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2017. Crowdsourcing and Online Collaborative Translations [Benjamins Translation Library, 131], DOI logo

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