A Comparative Study Of Hybridity In Two English Translations Of The Analects

The close exchange between cultures makes their component elements like language and custom be tainted with the exotic color from other cultures, thus becoming hybrid where various cultural factors intertwine and interact with each other. As an intermedium between different cultures, translation aims at transplanting the original culture into the target culture. However, the different cultural origins, language structures, thinking patterns and narrative modes between cultures give rise to heterogeneities and differences between their languages, which makes hybridity an important characteristic of translated texts.As one of the classical works of Confucianism, the translation of the Analects of Confucius has always been an important part in Sino-foreign cultural exchanges. Therefore, from the perspective of hybridity, the present thesis chooses two translated texts as cases, one by Ku Hungming and the other by Roger T. Ames, and attempts to discover the phenomenon of hybridity reflected in their translations from linguistic and cultural aspects and further analyze their respective characteristics of hybridity, the causes of formation as well as their function. Through these analyses, it is expected to demonstrate the necessity and inevitability of the hybrid English translations of the Confucius, thereby providing new evidence to support the statement that all translated texts are hybrid.The thesis consists of five chapters.Chapter one is an introduction to the Analects of Confucius, particularly its translation in the west. Then it follows the literature review of researches on Roger T. Ames'and Ku Hungming's translations of the Analects. Finally the research purpose, theoretical framework and methodology of the thesis are illustrated. Chapter two is theoretical explanation which is based on the study and application of hybridity in translation studies. Chapter three is the detailed analysis of "hybridity" in both Ames's and Ku's versions from linguistic and cultural levels. Specifically, hybridity in language is explored in the lexical, syntactic and textual aspects while hybridity in culture is reflected in the translation of ecology, material, social and religious aspects. Chapter four is the discussion of the reasons leading to the two versions' different hybrid tendencies, which is explored from both external and internal elements. The former refers to the features of culture as a whole and particular intercultural relation. The latter covers elements of text type, the translators and the readers. Chapter five is the conclusion, including its main achievements, limitations and suggestions for further investigations and researches.