Ecological Adaptation in English Translations of The Analects: A Translator-Centered Perspective

Abstract

As a translation theory from China, eco-translatology goes past the "source-text centred" and "target-text centred" views, and puts the translator at the centre. From this view, translation is an ecological activity. Translators keep adapting to the ecological environment for translation, and make choices that fit this environment. The Analects is the most important classic of Confucianism, and a key book for spreading Chinese culture to the world. But its English translations are quite different - in writing style, how they explain the culture, and how well they communicate. Using Hu Gengshen's eco-translatology as a framework, we look at three classic English versions of The Analects - by James Legge, Arthur Waley, and D. C. Lau. We study how each translator adapts and makes choices in their own translational environment, across three areas: language, culture, and communication. We found that a translator's cultural background, their ideas about translation, and the readers they target all work together to shape how they translate. How ecologically balanced a translation is all comes down to the choices the translator makes as they adapt. We compare what works and what doesn't in all three translations, from an ecological point of view. From this, we pull out some general rules for how to adapt when translating ancient Chinese classics into English. These rules can help both researchers and translators who want to share traditional Chinese culture with the world.