Publications

Publication details [#28614]

Wang, Jiankai. 2016. 从本土古典到域外经典 ——英译中国诗歌融入英语(世界)文学之历程 [The Dissemination of Chinese Classics in the West: efforts by Western scholars and sinologists]. Translation Horizons (翻译界 (Fanyi Jie)) 1 (2) : 1–19. URL
Publication type
Article in jnl/bk
Publication language
Chinese
Source language
Target language
Person as a subject

Abstract

Western scholars and sinologists have made significant contribution to the dissemination of Chinese literature overseas. They usually select source texts by themselves and out of scholarly interest. A good example of this involves Chinese classical poetry, the gem of Chinese literature. Since the 17th century, many sinologists have translated Chinese classical poetry into English and produced their own versions. Thanks to their efforts, Chinese classical poetry has been collected into anthologies and textbooks in the West. This article, by looking at the three representative figures (Arthur Waley, Ezra Pound and Burton Watson), endeavors to recount the history of their translating Chinese poetry and to reveal — through the analysis of the translations — the way their translations entered the anthologies of English and America literature. It is found that their translations tend to strike a balance between faithfulness and readability; their popularity has been partially brought about by their publication in various journals, excellent reviews and awards received, collection into prestigious anthologies, and imitation by Western poets.
Source : S. Sun