A Comparative Study Of Five English Versions Of The Analects

Covering a wide scope of subjects from politics, philosophy, literature and art to education and moral cultivation, The Analects is the earliest and most reliable source on the life and teachings of the Sage, Confucius, and is regarded by the Chinese as the basic "Scripture" of Confucianism. Full of wit and wisdom, it is still pertinent even today at home and abroad. As one of the most influential books in the world history, there are many translations of this rewarding but difficult work.This thesis aims to explore the diversity of five English versions of The Analects, respectively translated by James Legge, Ku Kungming, Ezra Pound, Lin Yutang and Lai Bo&Xia Yuhe, and to explore the causes of these differences from the perspective of the translator's subjectivity.This thesis is intended to study the subjectivity of the translator mainly from hermeneutics perspective and Skopos theory. Hermeneutics, a method of textual analysis, means to interpret. It is also an artful form of understanding and a process of exposing hidden meanings. In translation, the translator first approaches the original text as the interpreter, or the first reader, for the premise of translation is that the translator should interpret the original text actively and accurately. Then he decodes the message and meaning implied in the original as a translation decision maker and finally transfers them in a way acceptable to the reader in the receptor language as a meaning provider or the translated version creator. It is natural and logical that hermeneutics, the philosophical thought, bears close relationship with translation. Theoretically speaking, Hermeneutics confirms a translator's active interpretation of the original text. As a cognitive subject, the translator is not a passive recipient of meaning but an active and creative agent in the making of meaning. Unavoidably, the translator will input his own aesthetic values, beliefs, life experience, cultural characteristics and attitudes in the interpreting process of texts, and the translation. To some extent, it will mirror the translator's mental outlook and his/her idiosyncratic features in spite of his/her impartial intention. Besides hermeneutics, Skopos theory also can be used as another theory basis for translator's subjectivity in this thesis. Skopos theory focuses above all on the purpose of the translation, which determines the translation strategies to achieve a functionally adequate result.This thesis consists of five chapters in addition to the introduction.Introduction gives the research background, research questions, methodology and its significance in order to make the structure of the thesis understood clearly andeasily.Chapter One is a literature review. It covers a brief introduction to The Analects, including its social and historical status, linguistic features of the original text, key commentaries, and major English translations where great importance is attached to the five English versions discussed in the thesis. The retranslation study is also included in this part.Chapter Two is a brief review of related theories, including Hermeneutics and Skopos theory. Of course, this part will also explain how both theories link with the translator's subjectivity.Chapter Three studies the diversity of translations of The Analects through a comparative analysis of the five English versions from the perspective of translator's subjectivity. This includes two processes, the text-perceiving and text-producing.Chapter Four is devoted to exploring some key Confucian concepts in different versions. These are Chinese culture-specific, such as ren, li,junzi and xiaoren.In Conclusion, the author makes a detailed summary of the five diverse translations of The Analects, focusing on the discussion of their diversities and the important role the translator plays in the translation instead of evaluating the gains and losses of their translations.