English Abstracts of Major Papers

On the Chineseness and the Universalness of the Chinese School of  Translation Theory 

By TAN Zaixi (Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China & Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong,  China) p.5 

Abstract: Based on an understanding of the nature and the mission of the Chinese school of translation theory and of translation theory in general, this study undertakes to identify what characterizes the Chinese approach to theorizing translation. Adopting what the author has proposed and termed as a dialectically oriented “ethnoconvergent approach to TS research,” the paper examines the fundamental aspects of the translation theory with Chinese characteristics, especially those concerning its Chineseness and universalness. The insights offered in the discussion are expected to deepen our understanding of what has made Chinese translation theory the way it is, and to make it easier for Chinese translation theory to go international and become a more convincing source of worldwide TS thinking. 

Keywords: Chinese translation theory; Chineseness; universalness; dialectic points of view;  ethnoconvergent approach

Translational Generativism: A New Holistic Conception of Translatology 

By LUO Dijiang (Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Liuzhou, China) p.16 

Abstract: Generation is one of the most basic concepts of the philosophy of generativism and organicism. As such, it also functions as a critical concept of complex science and cognitive science, and a fundamental concept for expressing dynamics and transcending reductionism. Symbolically formed by integrating generativism with translation studies, translational generativism offers a holistic conception of translatology by means of regarding practice-oriented generativism as its foundation, creativity as its basic dynamic, generativity as its inner mechanism and growth as its endogenous dynamic. Translational generativism thus makes it possible to generalize about, and to reflect on as well, the generative phenomenon of translation, seeing translation anew as the existence of a textual life containing its own actualization (birth) and actuality (growth). The integration of actualization and actuality of such a textual life endows translation with its creativity, generativity and growth. These features of translational generativism enables an epistemologically oriented understanding of translation, one that replaces a compositional analysis with a generative analysis,  and a being-centered reductionist way of thinking with a becoming-centered holistic way of thinking. 

Keywords: translational generativism; creativity; generativity; growth; translatological holism 

Action/System/Function: A Sociological Approach to Eco-translatology 

By FU Jingmin (Shanghai University, Shanghai, China) p.26 

Abstract: As a theory of translation with distinct Chinese characteristics, eco-translatology has emerged as a noteworthy area of inquiry in Chinese translation studies. To subject this theory to a critical rethinking at this point of its development would not only further its growth but also shed some much needed light on how to expand the Chinese school of thought in the study of translation. Drawing on sociological theories, this paper proposes that eco-translatology be re-conceptualized as a coherent system encompassing both a subjective construction and an objective existence. It argues that adopting such a perspective and thus delving into the theoretical dimensions of action, system and function would provide a sociological basis for the establishment, growth, and validation of eco-translatology’s objective existence. The paper further contends that eco-translatology, having been grounded in a comprehensive and systemic perspective, has established itself through collective actions of its practitioners as a systematized academic discourse, effectively integrating Chinese and Western ecological concepts. Given the complexity of systems and their environments, however, issues concerning its boundaries and functions remain, and should be dealt with in reference to the existing conditions for its development.

Keywords: translation studies; eco-translatology; action; system; function 

A Tensioned Convergence between Two Conflicting Ends: Exploring  Lu Xun’s Thinking on Literary Translation 

By PENG Yongsui (Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China) p.35 

Abstract: The interpretation of Lu Xun’s thinking on literary translation has long been marred by simplistic labels such as his preference for literal or “hard” translation or his presumption of a ST-centered literariness. In fact, Lu Xun’s conception of translation can better be described as a twofold pursuit, namely, using translated literature as both a means for enlightenment and one for seeking out truth. What results from such a pursuit is a tension-filled convergence of the two ends in question. The convergence enables his enlightenment-oriented mindset and his truth seeking-oriented operations to shape each other, his thinking pattern of “goal-method-resources” and his operational procedure of “selection-interpretation-expression” to mould each other, and his translations to become enlightening without being untruthful and truthful without being dogmatized. In other words, his thinking on literary translation is both conceptually principled and practically flexible, and his translations turn out to be inter-culturally hybrid products drawing on both foreign and domestic cultural resources. To carry out research on Lu Xun’s translations, one should take as a point of departure their deviation from either foreign source texts or other domestic works, so that they can be interpreted in reference to his agenda both to enlighten and to seek out truth.  

Keywords: Lu Xun; literary translation; enlightenment; truth; thinking mechanism 

Translation and Interpretation of Zhongyong in Russia 

By WANG Lingzhi (North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power,  Zhengzhou, China) p.45 

Abstract: As one of the major Confucian classics with far-reaching influences on Chinese culture, Zhongyong attracted the attention of the early Russian visitors to China and began to be rendered into Russian in the 18th century. So far, there have been more than 10 different Russian versions of this Chinese classics being published. This paper offers a historical-analytic review of Zhongyong’s translation in Russia, identifying the characteristics of its renditions, exploring its interpretation and research by Russian scholars, outlining the way Zhongyong and Confucianism in general have been disseminated in Russia and thus providing references for relevant domestic research in China. 

Keywords: Zhongyong; Russia; translation; interpretation 

How to Make Our Voice Heard: A Study of the International Reception of  Zhuangzi Through the Lens of Natural Language Processing 

By ZHU Shuran (Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai, China) p.53 

Abstract: Although the rendition of Chinese classics into other languages has garnered significant attention both domestically and internationally, there remains a dearth of research examining the reception by their international audiences. Taking the English translation of Zhuangzi as a case in point and utilizing the Python programming and the Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools, this study investigates the distinctions among the introductory, literary, and philosophical modes adopted by translators of this Chinese classic and assesses the different ways its English versions have been received by their diverse readerships. The study concludes that translation strategies must be adapted to the needs and preferences of specific  audiences. And it shows also that from the perspective of reception studies, translators of Chinese classics should set great store by targeted research on the classification of readership, the creation of appropriate styles, and the diversification of communicative channels so to effectively convey the richness and the depth of Chinese culture to their international audiences.

Keywords: translation; Chinese classics; Zhuangzi; overseas reception; NLP  

SCIC Conference Interpreting Training: Philosophy, Methodology and  Implications 

By WANG Dongzhi (Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing, China) p.63 

Abstract: This paper offers a comprehensive and systematic introduction to the SCIC Chinese Interpreters Training program sponsored by the European Commission, discussing in detail its set-up, curriculum features, training philosophy, and pedagogical methodology. The modularized program, which epitomizes the instructional philosophy of pedagogical progression, communication-oriented expression, and knowledge acquisition, is designed to build up the interpreter competence by scaffolding skill components. By providing the trainees with increasingly less support in their exercises, directing their attention more and more to the communicativeness of their expressions and facilitating their acquisition of relevant linguistic and non-linguistic knowledge meanwhile, the program ensures a step-by-step progression toward the goal of its training.  

Keywords: SCIC; interpreting; training; philosophy; methodology 

Identification with Traditional Chinese Culture in Yan Fu’s Translation 

By DING Ruwei (Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China) p.79 

Abstract: Facing a conflict between the Chinese and the Western culture and a confrontation between tradition and modernity, the late Qing Chinese translators had to choose between the two cultures in question so as to inform their translations with a distinct cultural identity. This paper probes into Yan Fu’s translated texts by placing them in their original temporal-spacial context. From his choice of the classical style of Chinese writing, his proposal of “faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance” as the principles of translation, his efforts to “transform the Western modes of expression” and to practice cultural  transplantation through translation, and his commitment to serving the interests of his native Chinese culture by taking advantage of the strengths of foreign culture, we can see clearly the extent to which Yan Fu the translator identified himself with traditional Chinese culture. His way of projecting a Chinese cultural identity onto his translation activities remains edifying for Chinese translators functioning in today’s world of multi-cultural coexistence and dialogue. 

Keywords: Yan Fu; Translation; Cultural Identity 

Stylistic Distinction and Aesthetic Effects: A Criticism of the Translation of  the Tang Chinese Classic of Calligraphy Shupu 

By LIU Yi (Nanjing University, Nanjing, China & China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China) p.106 

Abstract: Calligraphy has been an important cultural motif and a rich source of cultural capital throughout China’s history. As such, calligraphic theory, the sublimation of the practice and the art of handwriting, has come to be informed with Chinese aesthetic principles and values, and its interlingual/intersemiotic rendition becomes a significant part of the effort for traditional Chinese culture to “go global.” Within the theoretical framework of the thoughts on calligraphy by such prestigious calligraphers as Hu Xiaoshi, Feng  Yiwu and Jiang Yi, this article subjects two English translations of the Tang calligraphic classic Shupu to  an intralingual interpretation and an interlingual translation criticism. Focusing on their ways of rendering terms of calligraphic genres and styles, the article aims to provide some useful references for introducing Chinese conceptions of calligraphy cross-culturally, and to reflect on the methodology in general for translating Chinese classics as well. 

Keywords: Shupu; English translation; calligraphic theory; intralingual interpretation; critical reflection