Reading Theories and the “Real” Reader:On the Reception of Chinese Translatedfiction in the 1980s

CHAN Leo Tak-Hung (Lingnan University,Hong Kong)

Abstract:This article begins by introducing Western conceptualizations of the “rise of the reader.” This reader is the real reader,not the implied or ideal reader to be constructed from a text.With reference to the reception of Chinese translations of Western novels in the 1980s,the author analyzes two different kinds of readers’ response.While potentialfiction-writers were inspired by the translated works they read,many readers simply derived pleasure from the purchases they made,in a way that presages the advent of consumerism that would affect the translation of Westernfiction in the decades to come.

Keywords:reception theory,translatedfiction,ordinary reader,consumerism

Story and Discourse: A Narratological Study of Eileen Chang’s Short Story “Wusi Yishi”

ZHANG Qian (Xi’an International Studies University)

Abstract:There have been different opinions surrounding whether Eileen Chang’s Chinese short story “Wusi Yishi”（《五四遺事》）is an original text or the selftranslation of her English short story “Stale Mates”.Existing views are relatively subjective and lack theoretical foundations.This study approaches this issue by adopting the narratological concept of “story” and argues that the English version is the original text while its corresponding Chinese version is the author’s self-translation.Following this line of argument,this study further analyzes the two texts from the perspective of another important narratological concept,namely,“discourse”,by focusing specifically on the parameter of “speech presentation”.A thorough comparison of the two texts shows that there are more instances of speech presentation in the Chinese version.After categorizing and analyzing the examples,this study concludes that the characters in“Wusi Yishi” are presented with greater subjectivity than those in “Stale Mates”,and the narrative distance in the Chinese version is closer than that of the original English version.In addition,compared with “Stale Mates”,“Wusi Yishi” demonstrates a higher level of narrative and translation skills.

Keywords:story,speech presentation,narratology,Wusi Yishi,Stale Mates

Reshaping Zhu Xi: E.C.Bridgman’s Selective Translation of Yuzuan Zhuzi Quanshu in the Context of Protestant Term Controversy

SHUAI Siyan (Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Abstract:In the mid-19th century,Protestant missionaries in China,troubled by the Term Question in translating the Bible into Chinese,turned to studying and translating Zhu Xi’s works for reference.Among all these works,a selective translation ofYuzuan Zhuzi Quanshupublished in 1849 by E.C.Bridgman,thefirst American missionary in China,is a landmark.This paper,therefore,focuses on Bridgeman’s translation.By placing it within the context of the Term Controversy,this paper analyzes why and how the missionary translator reshapes the image of Zhu Xi through rewriting his thoughts.The analysis shows that Bridgman made this translation in response to the controversy.He represents Zhu Xi as a materialist behind his times through various means,including preselecting and altering the original texts and incorporating additional commentaries into the translation.

Keywords:E.C.Bridgman,Yuzuan Zhuzi Quanshu,English translation of Zhu Xi’s thoughts,Term Controversy

On James Legge’s Thick Translation of Hsiao King from the Perspective of Bourdieu’s Capitals

XIONG Jun (Hubei Engineering University)

Abstract:This study,using thick translation and the French sociologist Bourdieu’s concept of capitals as its framework,analyzes James Legge’s Chinese-English translation ofHsiao King(Xiao Jing) andfinds out that Legge adopted certain techniques in line with thick translation within and without the main body ofHsiao King,such as prefaces,intratextual annotations (footnotes,annotations,commentary,etc.),and endnotes.These have contributed toHsiao King’s popularity among readers of English translations of Chinese classics.Meanwhile,this studyfinds that Legge’s choice of translation techniques was the product of the interaction of cultural capital,social capital,economic capital and symbolic capital in the context of social history.And it is hoped that thefindings can shed some light on today’s translations of Chinese classics.

Keywords:James Legge,Hsiao King,thick translation,Bourdieu’s capitals

A Transcription-based Error Analysis of Student Interpreters’Consecutive Interpreting

DENG Xiaowen (Beijing Foreign Studies University)

Abstract:Error analysis is often used to evaluate the quality of interpreting.By collecting and transcribing audio recordings of 46 sessions of English-Chinese consecutive interpreting,this study explores Chinese undergraduate student interpreters’errors from a product perspective.The analysis is made at both intratextual and intertextual levels.At the intratextual level,this study looks into cohesion and coherence in the target texts,and categorizes errors into repetition,redundant personal pronoun,unnecessary elaboration,meaninglessfillers,erroneous sentence,and self-repair.At the intertextual level,it compares source and target texts in terms of discrepancies in meaning,andfinds errors in addition,omission,misinterpretation and coping tactics;these errors are further grouped into major-meaning errors and non-major meaning errors based on their severity and scope.Examples of each type of errors are provided and discussed.

Keywords:error analysis,interpreting quality,English-Chinese consecutive interpreting,student interpreters,recording transcription

Community Interpreting Studies in the Last Twenty Years:A Bibliometric Analysis

HU Juan (Guizhou Normal University & Xiamen University)

Abstract:In the last twenty years,considerable progress has been made in community interpreting studies worldwide; meanwhile,Chinese interpreting researchers have started to show increasing interest in thisfield.This study takes a bibliometric approach,and analyzes papers published from 1995 to 2015 in international journals in translation and interpreting studies indexed in SSCI and A & HCI as well as in Chinese journals in translation and language studies indexed in CSSCI.It looks into this researchfield’s evolution,research themes,interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological frameworks,authors and their geographic distribution.This study reflects recent developments in community interpreting studies; thefindings may inform researchers already in thisfield and inspire new researchers to join our research community.

Keywords:community interpreting,scientometric method,interpreting studies

Developing the Translation Competence of Translator Trainers:Bottlenecks and Solutions

DAI Lei (Wuhan University of Technology)

Abstract:Professional graduate programs in translation and interpreting (in contrast to academic programs) have fl ourished in number in China in the past decade.Translator trainers in such programs,consisting mainly of teachers who have an MA or PhD degree in translation studies or foreign languages,are faced with the problem of the lack of hands-on experience.This study considers the historical background and features of translation education in China and explores the causes behind this phenomenon and proposes some solutions: i.motivating trainers for part-time translation practice;ii.strengthening the collaboration between universities and the language service industry;and iii.supporting on-the-job training for trainers.Specific ways for converting trainers’translation or interpreting practice into teaching or research scores in evaluation rubrics are suggested.

Keywords:professional programs,translator trainers,hands-on translation experience,teacher evaluation

Dong Leshan: An Eminent and Prolific Chinese Translator

YANG Kun (Guangdong University offinance & Economics)

Abstract:Dong Leshan (1924–1999) was a famous translator in China who made great achievements in both translation theory and practice.However,scant attention has been paid to him in thefield of translation studies.This paper pays tribute to him by introducing his translations,highlighting his social responsibility as an intellectual and by analyzing his ideas on translation,thus emphasizing his position as an importantfigure in the history of Chinese translation.

Keywords:translator,translated works,translator thoughts

Book Review: Translators through History

YAO Bin (Beijing Foreign Studies University)

WANG Yanqiang (Fudan University)

Abstract:This paper is a critical review ofTranslators through History.The book wasfirst published in 1995,and updated in 2012.Jointly written by several dozens of experts in thefield of translation history,the book is a result of thefiT’s long-term efforts in compiling a general history of translation.The book outlines the historical contribution made by translators in the areas of the invention of alphabets,formation of national languages,development of national literature,dissemination of technological expertise,power relations,spread of religions and cultural values,as well as lexicology.It also makes special note of the significant role played by interpreters.The book features a translator-centric approach,with rich content and fresh research horizons,as well as cross-disciplinary borrowings.However,it lacks a more detailed picture of individual translators and translation history outside of Europe.It is believed that there is potential to tap in thefield of translator-centric studies of translation history.

Keywords:Translators through History,Translator Studies,historical contributions

Book Review: Multiple Translation Communities in Contemporary Japan

YE Xiujuan (Beijing Union University)

Abstract:Multiple Translation Communities in Contemporary Japanreveals from different perspectives the hybrid nature of contemporary Japanese language and culture,and highlights the diversity and popularity of translation.This edited volume includes 10 articles,which can be grouped into manga,film and theater translations,gender and queer communities and cross-translations identities in translation,and literary translation.It features a broad vision,varied perspectives,local fl avor and current trends.

Keywords:contemporary Japan,translation,intersemiotic translation

An Interview with Prof.Christina Sch?ffner

DU Lei (Shanghai International Studies University)

Abstract:This is an interview with Prof.Christina Sch?ffner of Aston University.As a world-renowned researcher of political discourse translation,she reviews in this interview her own academic history and describes her research focus,academic concerns and her approaches to the study of political discourse translation.

Keywords:political discourse,image,translation,role