A Corpus-based Approach to the Translation of Chinese Cultural Terms

Description

It has been long acknowledged by translators and researchers of Chinese classic works that the translation of cultural terms poses as one of a great problem in translation. Nevertheless, there has been so far only sporadic analysis or anecdotal accounts of this issue. This study thus aims at providing a descriptive approach to the problem. It will explore the translation of specific cultural terms in western textbooks on Chinese civilization, for example, Sources of Chinese Tradition (de Bary & Bloom, 1999) (with the help of softwares such as Wordsmith 5.0). Based on relevant literature and the researchers’ expertise, a number of Chinese cultural terms will be selected for analysis. Translated terms will be compared to their meanings in the Chinese exegetical tradition, such as that of The Analects. The study will disclose how Chinese classics are introduced and understood in the West cultural context.