English Abstracts of Major Papers

Calling for a Value-oriented New Approach in Translation Studies

By LUO Dijiang (Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China / Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Liuzhou, China) p. 5

Abstract: Translation-related facts and values are the two fundamental dimensions of translation studies. An examination of this discipline from an axiological perspective would lead to the discovery that it is deeply embedded in a distinctive set of values and that its findings are always informed with certain value judgments. Such being the case, heightening the self-consciousness of its own intrinsic value dimension holds the promise for translation studies to transcend a narrow pursuit of utilities, achieve a unity between instrumental rationality and axiological rationality, reach a balance between the interests of the self and those of the other, and turn negative values into positive ones. A value-oriented approach should therefore be promoted as a new trend in translation studies.

Keywords: translation studies; translation-related fact; translation-related value; utility; rationality; self; other 

Information-centered Theory of Translation: An Exploration

By PI Qiang (Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China) p. 13

Abstract: Despite its great achievements made over the past half century or so, the field of translation studies remains confronted with a whole set of new problems arising due to the emergence of new societal, technological and cultural realities. In response to these problems, scholars concerned have been subjecting currently dominant translation concepts, methods and theories to an intense reexamination and re-evaluation, and have come up with a growing number of new ideas and theories. As part of the theoretical exploration, this paper argues for the necessity and practicality of an information-centered approach to translation studies on the basis of three assumptions: that translation is a continuous activity; that it has a ubiquitous presence in human discourse; and that it is the process whereby the translating agent makes meaning within relevant timespan and informational boundary by applying certain computational mechanism.

Keywords: information; translation; definition; Translation Studies; meaning-making

Paradigmatic Shift and Integration in Studying the Cognitive Process of Translation

By LANG Yue (Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China) & HOU Linping (Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China) p. 21

Abstract: A series of paradigmatic shifts in cognitive science from cognitivism to connectionism and then to situated/embodied cognition have brought with them changes in cognitive studies of the process of translation, leading to diverse views about what ought to be the normative theoretical model, research method and research area for this sub-field of translation studies. For a synthesis of these diverging assumptions, we propose a model of integration that combines neuro-cognition with situated/embodied cognition, universality with individuality, and cognitive studies with artificial intelligence. Further studies are needed for a productive application of this integrated line of research.

Keywords: cognitive process of translation; paradigm; shift; integration

C-E Translations Published in The China Review and the Dissemination of the Chinese Culture in the West

By LI Haijun (Changsha University, Changsha, China) p. 30

Abstract: The China Review was the most influential China-based sinological periodical published in English during the late 19th century, and a significant source of knowledge about China then for the Westerners. By publishing large amount of English translations of Chinese documents and texts, it served as an important bridge for cultural exchanges between China and Western countries. A close look into the way The China Review carried out its C-E translation shows that even though its selection of source texts covers a wide and varied range of subjects, the coverage is by no means a systematic representation of all relevant and noteworthy subject areas. As for the mode of translation, domesticating appears to be the choice for most of its renditions. Despite these defects, The China Review was without doubt a success in turning Chinese cultural texts into English for dissemination in the West. From its effective mode of C-E translation, China can still draw some useful lessons in its current efforts to disseminate Chinese culture abroad.

Keywords: C-E translation; The China Review; selection of source texts; translation strategy; dissemination and influence; enlightenment 

Adaptation and Reconstruction in Late Qing Translation of Foreign History Textbooks

By GUO Weiran (University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China) p. 38

Abstract: The rendition of foreign history textbooks in late Qing China attracts attention as an unwonted episode in China’s modern history of translation. Undertaking the project when the traditional Chinese society was going through a radical transition to a new one, the translators involved tended to adopt a strategy of “harmonizing” whereby the contents of the source texts were so heavily adapted to the local knowledge system that much of the original became reconstructed. Foreign history books were thus turned into readings informed with the local ethos of social change and resonating with the sentiments of their readers.

Keywords: Late Qing China; foreign history textbook; cross-cultural translation

Translation and Circulation of Jonathan Swift’s Works in China

By JIANG Yongying (China Foreign Affairs University, Beijing, China) p. 48

Abstract: This article explores the century-old translation and circulation of Swift’s works in China against the historico-cultural contexts of the late Qing, the modern times and the currently on-going new historical period. The survey not only shows the important role a foreign writer’s works have played in the modernization of Chinese literature, but also throws lights on other possibilities which Swift’s translation and introduction could open up beyond the literary realm. In Swift, we have thus an interesting site for studying cross-cultural travelling of discourse.

Keywords: Jonathan Swift; China; translation; communication; cross-cultural travelling

Translation and Study of Du Fu in Russia

By MAO Zhiwen (Wuhan University, Wuhan, China) p. 57

Abstract: This paper offers a systematic account of the translation, interpretation and research of Chinese poet Du Fu’s works in Russia since the end of the 19th century. On the basis of a close examination of the translation strategies adopted by Russian sinologists of different historical periods, the paper identifies the artistic features the Russian translations of Du Fu’s poems tend to display, analyzes the innovative theoretical perspectives brought to bear on Russian sinologists’ introduction of Du Fu’s life and works, discusses Du Fu’s literary influence in Russia, and explains why Du Fu’s poems have been widely circulated among the Russian reading public. Russian translation and study of Du Fu significantly expand the accessibility and circulation of Tang poetry in Russia and, in this sense, has done much in helping to promote traditional Chinese culture abroad.

Keywords: Du Fu; Russia; Translation and Research

How to Construct an On-Campus Practical Training Base for MTI Students

By ZHANG Xiufeng, GAO Hui &BAI Xiaohuang (Capital Normal University, Beijing, China) p. 66

Abstract: Off-campus practical training, which has so far been the norm for the internship of MTI students, tends to cause problems such as uneven training opportunities for students, a mismatch between the instructions they have received and the practices they actually participate in, a failure to close the loop of theoretical learning and professional training, and a lack of variety in available internship positions. These problems can be eliminated with the construction of an on-campus base for practical training. Any conception of such a project should be guided by the principles of authenticity, correspondence and localization. Its design must take into consideration not only the internship positions and the contents and forms of instruction, but also the management of the on-campus base and, last but not least, the establishment of an assessment and certification system. Because of the last consideration, the involvement of professional organizations such as Translators Association of China is also a necessity.

Keywords: MTI; on-campus internship base; design; construction 

A Comparison of Parallel Texts-based Model for MTI Tourism Translation Teaching

By SHAN Wenbo (Hubei University, Wuhan, China) p. 73

Abstract: Offering useful bilingual research data, parallel texts are normally employed as a serviceable reference in pragmatic translation teaching, especially in the teaching of tourism translation. This paper proposes a pedagogical model for MTI-level courses of tourism translation, one that makes full use of a comparison between relevant parallel texts. By selecting such texts before class and asking the students to compare them both in and after class, and by offering comments and feedbacks on the students’ exercises on translation that refer specifically to the parallel texts assigned, teachers would facilitate students’ acquisition of an authentic and acceptable mode of translation, and are thus more likely to achieve success in tourism translation teaching.

Keywords: parallel text; comparison; teaching; MTI; tourism translation