| Purposes This study is a part of the research task undertaken by Professor Zhu Jianping,who is responsible for the group standard General Principles for English Translation of Traditional Chinese Medicine from China Association of Chinese Medicine and related research subjects of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.In this study,core terms and main term components of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)are taken as the research object,and their concept intension are collected.According to these intensions,different kinds of translation versions from standards and dictionaries are compared and analyzed for more rational translation strategy can be put forward based on the principles and methods of terms translation in TCM.As for terms with ambiguous concepts,a more detailed discussion will be taken place in this paper then the translation norm of polysemy terms and components can be summarized.On this basis,the consensus degree of English translation will be improved and a high-quality draft of English translation tables of core terms and main term components be compiled,which is likely to become the blueprint for entering the appendix of organization standards and promote the translation standardization of terms and components in TCM.Contents Ⅰ.Selecting of core terms and main components in TCM.Based on the terms of Chinese Terms in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy,the core terms and main term components in TCM were selected according to three principles of fundamentality,centrality and derivation.Meanwhile,the frequency of some core terms and main term components from different department of TCM are counted by statistical method,which provides the evidence for these three principles.Ⅱ.Collecting the concept intensions of core terms and main components in TCM.Based on the existing research results and ancient books of TCM,concept intensions of the selected core terms and main term components are collected and distinguished,especially for polysemy term components with controversial concept.Then the different parts of concept intensions can be discussed and clarified,so as to become the important basis for English translation.Ⅲ.Translation standardization research on core terms and main components in TCM.Different translation standards of core terms and main term components in TCM are collected and classified into theory foundation,application foundation,clinical subjects and polysemy terms 4 different parts.Then similarities and differences of various translation standards are compared and analyzed according to concept intensions.On this basis,advantages and disadvantages of various English translations are discussed with the help of reference books,so that more rational translation strategies and methods can be put forward.Finally,tables of English translation standard about core terms and main term components in TCM will be formed and different translation suggestions be given for various intensions of polysemy term components.Methods Ⅰ.Terminology method The national standard GB/T10112-2019 Terminology Work-Principles and Methods establishes the basic principles and methods for preparing and compiling terminologies both inside and outside the framework of standardization,and describes the links between objects,concepts,and their terminological representations.It also establishes general principles governing the formation of terms and appellations and the formulation of definitions.It points out that in the case of terminology work carried out in standardization,not only are the term and other designations standardized but so is the definition.Both the designation and the definition represent the concept,which is to say that the concept,the designation and the definition all refer to the same object(s)making up the extension.The set of characteristics that come together to form the concept is called the intension of the concept,and the set of objects conceptualized as a concept is known as the extension of the concept.The two,the intension and the extension,are interdependent.The role of an intensional definition is to provide the minimum amount of information that forms the basis for abstraction and that allows one to recognize and differentiate the concept from other related concepts,especially coordinate concepts.The unique combination of characteristics creating the intension shall identify the concept and differentiate it from other concepts.By referring to Chinese Terms in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy,this study makes a detailed analysis on intension concepts of the selected core terms,which serves as the basis to distinguish conceptual differences and explore the rational English translation.The national standard GB/T19102-2003 Specification for Description of Term Component Database standardized the definition,extraction and information analysis of term component.According to this standard,term component refers to a word or phrase that consists of a multi-word term,and a language fragment with close association,strong derivation and stable usage in specific professional fields can also be regarded as a term component.The extraction of term component should be carried out based on the segmentation and annotation of terms.The information analysis of term components refers to the statistical analysis on basic information,location information,grammar information and semantics information from the extracted term components.Under the guidance of the standard,this study extracts the main term components in TCM by referring to Chinese Terms in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy,counts the frequency of their occurrence,and explores the rational translation strategy with the analysis on their concept intensions.Ⅱ.Principles and methods of English translation for terms in TCM.For the principles of English translation,Professor Zhu Jianping and his research team put forward 7 contents based on years of research:equivalence principle(the meaning of translation corresponds and conforms to the intension of original term),systematicness principle(the integrity of conceptual system in TCM),identity principle(terms of same concepts should only be translated with the same word),conciseness principle(the translation shouldn’t be too long),back-translation principle(translation accords with Chinese in structure),nationality principle(names of formulas,Chinese medicinals and acupuncture acupoints use transliteration so that translation can retain the characteristic of TCM)and principle of acceptance through practice(although not completely in line with the principles above,currently prevailing translation still can be taken).As the first naming principle,priority should be given to the equivalence principle when it is difficult to coexist with other principles.The second principle is systematicness,means the relation of terms between upperseat concepts and subordinate concepts should be considered when choosing translation names.Then the identity principle ensures the single meaning of terms in the process of translation and avoid concept confusion,and the conciseness principle promotes the efficiency of academic communication.Even if the backtranslation principle is controversial,the unification of form is of great significance to the communication between Chinese and English,which has become a mainstream in the translation of TCM terms.At the same time,due to the existence of many cultureloaded words and proper nouns,nationality principle must be considered.Besides,principle of acceptance through practice is always the last one.At present,transliteration,literal translation and free translation are still the main methods in the translation of TCM terms.Sometimes,translation combined with multiple methods is also used.Transliteration means translating a term in pinyin,which is applicable when other translation methods cannot accurately express the specific meaning in TCM.Literal translation is translating terms in their literal.meaning when there is no corresponding words in English,which will reflect the characteristics of TCM and not cause ambiguity.Free translation refers to the translation according to the concept intension.It can be used when a Chinese term has exactly the same intension with the English words.The choice of translation methods depends on the specific semantics and contexts.Ⅲ.Literature research methodWith the method of literature review,this study extensively collects relevant research literature at home and abroad to clarify the core terms and main term components in TCM,especially for those with multiple meanings and controversial concepts.At the same time,8 translation standards and 8 dictionaries that has met with general approval are analyzed,then similarities and differences of various translation versions can be compared.Based on the intension of Chinese terms,a more rational translation strategy of core terms and main term components will be put forward,promoting the research process of the standardization of English translation.Ⅳ.Comparative analysisAfter the collection of relevant information,a language database of core terms and main term components in TCM will be established.With translation principles and methods of TCM terms,various translation versions can be compared to explore their advantages and disadvantages.Finally a more rational translation strategy and method can be put forward and the standard translation tables of core terms and main term components in TCM will be finished.Ⅴ.Statistical methods In this study,the frequency of some core terms and main term components from different department of TCM is counted according to statistical method,and some terms or components with high frequency are selected as examples for reference,which are taken as evidence of conforming to the three principles of fundamentality,centrality and derivation.Ⅵ.Experts consultation With the help of WeChat and other tools,relevant experts are organized online to discuss the English translation of some core terms and main term components(such as TCM and pattern),whose opinions are recorded and analyzed as reference for the final recommendation of English translation.Results Ⅰ.Selecting core terms and main term components in TCM.Based on the terms of Chinese Terms in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy,the core terms and main term components in TCM are selected,stratified and coded logically and concept intensions are collected.Meanwhile,the frequency of some core terms and main term components from different department of TCM are counted by statistical method.Above all provide the evidence for defining this scope.Ⅱ.Analyzing the reasonable English translation of core terms and main components of TCM,especially putting forward different translation strategies for polysemy terms and components.According to the collection and research of concept intensions,this study classifies the selected core terms and main term components into theory foundation,application foundation,clinical subjects and polysemy terms 4 different parts.After exploring their concept intensions and different English translation,the translation strategy and method of core terms and main term components in TCM are established,which will provide reference for the translation of other terms in TCM.Ⅲ.Compiling a draft of English translation tables of core terms and main term components in TCM.Based on the discussion above,this study compiles a draft of English translation tables of core terms and main term components in TCM,including totally 389 core terms,172 main term components and 17 polysemy term components,which is likely to become the blueprint for entering the appendix of organization standards.ConclusionsⅠ.This study clarified three principles of core terms and main term components in TCM,fundamentality,centrality and derivation.On the basis of this,389 core terms and 172 main term components from terms of Chinese Terms in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy are selected,with the help of statistical method of frequency.Ⅱ.For the polysemy terms and components in TCM,this study believed that the method of different translations can be adopted,which can be selected according to their different connotations and contexts.Ⅲ.In this study,suggestions were given on translation of the selected core terms and main term components,and the English translation tables of core terms and main term components in TCM were compiled.Based on concept intensions of terms and components,the collected 8 translation standards and 8 bilingual dictionaries were analyzed,and similarities and differences of various translation versions were compared,then a more rational translation strategy of core terms and main term components in TCM were put forward.InnovationsⅠ.Clarifying the principles and scope of core terms and main term components in TCM.This study systematically comes up with the principle and scope of core terms and main term components in TCM for the first time,stratifying and coding them logically to promote the construction of core terms system in TCM.Ⅱ.Systematically analyzing the reasonable English translation of core terms and main terminology components of TCM,especially the strategy of different translations for polysemy terms and term components.Based on the comparative study of different translation versions of core terms and main term components in TCM and combined with the principles and methods of English translation of TCM terms,this study classifies the selected core terms and main term components into theory foundation,application foundation,clinical subjects and polysemy terms 4 different parts.After analyzing their concept intensions especially polysemy term components,the rational choice of English translation can be put forward.The research result will not only promote the system construction of translation strategy and method of core terms and main term components in TCM,but also provide reference for English translation standardization of other TCM fields so that support the research,practice,teaching and communication activities of TCM.Ⅲ.Compiling the English translation tables of core terms and main term components in TCM.After selecting core terms and main term components in TCM,this study extensively collects relevant research literature at home and abroad to clarify their concept intensions,especially for those with multiple meanings and controversial concepts.On the basis of comparative analysis of different translation versions and principles and methods of English translation,the rational translation suggestion can be put forward.Then as the blueprint for entering the appendix of organization standards,a draft of English translation tables of core terms and main term components in TCM will be compiled,in which different translation suggestions are given according to the meanings of polysemy term components. |
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