A Study Of Chinese Overseas Students’ Educational Translation In Modern China (1895～1937)

Taking an overview of the history of China’s education development, I find that the educational translation has been playing an important role in promoting the early modernization process of its education. It can be said that educational translation has made a significant contribution to the educational reform and development in each period, and educational translation and its achievements are directly relative to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, leading the developmental process of Chinese modern society. As the main body of educational translation activities, the overseas students played multiple roles:translators and disseminators, learners and practitioners of the new type of modern education as well. It was through the educational translation by the overseas students that the western learning was comprehensively and systematically introduced to China. As a result, the advanced educational systems, thinking, ideas, teaching contents and methods, and so on from abroad were better absorbed and spread in China, thus accelerating the pace of educational reform and development. Obviously, the study of educational translation by the overseas students and its far-reaching influence on the Chinese educational reform and development is no doubt of great historical research significance and practical reference value.So, such questions arise as follows:How did the educational translation by the overseas students start up and develop in modern China? What were the main contents of the translation? What kind of translation strategies and methods were adopted? What impacts did it have on modern Chinese educational reform and development? What influences did the educational translation and its achievements exercise upon the early modernization process of Chinese education? And what roles did the translators play in various stages of the development? In order to answer the above questions, this study will adopt Skopos theory and Polysystem theory as its theoretical framework for analysis. This dissertation mainly consists of the following parts:The Introduction part presents the rationale and significance of the study, delineates the scope of the study and some relevant concepts are defined afterwards, then it examines the previous studies and the status quo of the present research, and finally the research plan, theories and methods employed are clarified.Chapter1discusses the rise of the educational translation activities by the overseas students in modern China, involving its historical background, formation of educational translation groups of the overseas students, the educational translation agencies with the overseas students as the main body, and the major publication media as well.Chapter2outlines the development track of the educational translation activities by the overseas students occurring from1895to1937. Through examination of the development path of the educational translation, evolution of its motivational patterns, choice-making and changing of its translation approaches, development of the publication forms of its results, as well as multiple roles played by the overseas students in the process of translation, it attempts to delineate the evolution track of the educational translation by the overseas students from the Sino-Japanese War to Anti-Japanese War.Chapter3mainly collects and analyzes the main contents of the translated educational materials by the overseas students during over40years from1895to1937in order to explore what specific stuff had been introduced to China for reference from the West through translation in the process of early education modernization, including written and oral documents and literatures, such as the education systems, education works and handouts, articles, textbooks, teaching methods, and education speeches, as well as education novels, etc.Chapter4explores the major influences of the educational translation by the overseas students upon the modern Chinese educational reform. For example, the translation of the western education systems provides good samples for China to formulate its own, thus facilitating the modernization of the Chinese education system; the translation of western education theories helps the spreading and reception of such educational concepts in China as Herbart’s scientific education theory, Dewey’s pragmatic concept of education, and Marxist concept of education, which leads to the transformation of educational philosophy and renewal of educational aims in modern China, hence advancing the modernization of the Chinese education ideology; the translation of textbooks provides a rich and practical teaching materials for the newly established modern schools together with the western learning of natural science, social science and educational science in particular, which results in a rapid change of the teaching contents; the translation of teaching methods gives rise to the transmission and practice of the western advanced teaching methods in China. All this paved the way for the school education of China to gradually move towards a democratic and scientific one.Chapter5deals with the impacts of the educational translation upon the theory building with Chinese characteristics, including the early attempt at sinicization of the western education theories and establishment of a Chinese education discipline and system on the basis of reference to the west and the domestic conditions. The Conclusion part summarizes the main features in general of the educational translation by the overseas students. While acknowledging its historical contributions, this study points out its main deficiencies and proposes some personal reflections and suggestions on how to better conduct educational translation in current Sino-foreign educational exchange.