The Choice of Translation Strategy in the 21th Century — Based on Comparison of Two Translation Versions of Lun Yu

Journal: Journal of Higher Education Research DOI: 10.32629/jher.v3i3.892

Hao Chen

Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China

Abstract

From the Ming and Qing Dynasty onward, Lun Yu has been rendered into virtually all the main languages in the world. Of all English versions of the book, this paper will focus on Ku Hungming’s version and Legge’s version and seek to analyze how can we better coordinate foreignization and domestication to boost the diffusion of the Chinese culture across the world. It is commonly recognized that the two English versions mentioned above are excellent and classical versions of Lun Yu. Yet they adopted totally different translation strategies: Ku Hungming’s version tends to employ the strategy of foreignization while Legge’s version the strategy of domestication. After delving into the pros and cons of the two versions and bearing in mind China’s changing position in the global arena, this paper calls for adjustment of translation strategy so as to help the rest of the world better understand the genuine Chinese culture and increase the recognition of it.

Keywords

foreignization, domestication, the rise of China, the Genuine Chinese culture, confidence in culture

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