Chinese translation theory
theory of translation
Chinese translation theory was born out of contact with vassal states during the Zhou dynasty. It developed through translations of Buddhist scripture into Chinese. It is a response to the universals of the experience of translation and to the specifics of the experience of translating from specific source languages into Chinese. It also developed in the context of Chinese literary and intellectual tradition.
The Modern Standard Chinese word fanyi (翻譯; 'translate', 'translation') compounds fan "turn over; cross over; translate" and yi "translate; interpret". Some related synonyms are tongyi (通譯; 'interpret', 'translate'), chuanyi (傳譯; 'interpret', 'translate'), and zhuanyi (轉譯; 'translate', 'retranslate').
The Chinese classics contain various words meaning "interpreter; translator", for instance, sheren (舌人; 'tongue person') and fanshe (反舌; 'return tongue'). The Classic of Rites records four regional words: ji (寄; 'send', 'entrust', 'rely on') for the Dongyi (東夷; 'Eastern Yi-barbarians'), xiang (象; 'be like', 'resemble', 'image') for the Nanman (南蠻; 'Southern Man-barbarians'), didi (狄鞮; 'Di-barbarian boots') for the Xirong (西戎; 'Western Rong-barbarians'), and yi (譯; 'translate', 'interpret') for the Beidi (北狄; 'Northern Di-barbarians').
In those five regions, the languages of the people were not mutually intelligible, and their likings and desires were different. To make what was in their minds apprehended, and to communicate their likings and desires, (there were officers),—in the east, called transmitters; in the south, representationists; in the west, Tî-tîs; and in the north, interpreters.
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