A Brief Analysis Of Ku Hungming And James Legge’s Zhongyong Translation Versions From Postcolonization Perspective

Zhongyong is an important Confucian classics, contains rich Chinese philosophy.Since1960s, Zhongyong’s translation had a great contribution to spreading Chinesetraditional culture. In numerous translations Ku Hungming and Sinologist JamesLegge’s version are most popular.Postcolonial originated in the1950s, which is a multi-cultural theory, studies theculture, the discourse power, as well as the related issues of racial, cultural imperialismbetween suzerain and colonial at the end of colonial era. Owing to western economic,military and political support, made the westerners distort non-western culture. Theyadvocated western culture is superior to other cultures-this is the key point ofresistance in postcolonial theories. Postcolonial translation studies are generated in the1980s. This theory expounded: Translation is not a simply about language and text. Itinvolves in politics, economy, military, culture and other aspects. In the postcolonialcontext, translation is not only the colonial tools, but can be used for decolonial meansas well.Domestication and foreignization in translation is a constant debated point. Generallyspeaking, people believes that domestication is refers to the form, habits and culturaltradition of source language should be followed by the target language, namelyobliterate cultural differences. But foreignization is the opposite of domestication,highlights the exoticism of the source language in the translation, which is a way toresist hegemonic culture. Lawrence Venuti always quite agreed with the foreigizingmethod. His theory of foreignization is also agreed by the most of the researchers athome and abroad. In general, the weak culture text is translated into the hegemonicculture, taking domestication translation strategy will obliterate cultural differences, butforeignization method can retain cultural differences, will reflect the original culturebetter, it is considered as a reaction of a strong culture.But the author find, in Douglas Robinson’s book "translation and the empire", he didnot agree with Lawrence, which offers later studies a new issue that which strategy canbecome a better method for decolonization. This is the issue that is discussed in thisdissertation.Postcolonial translation theory paid more attention to the translator’s background,motivation, and purpose. The author will analyze the translator factors, such as motivation, purpose to discuss the translation strategy application in the two translationversions. Meanwhile, the author will comment on foreignization strategy, and focuseson analysis of the Ku Hungming’s domestication strategy, and then draw the conclusion:under the weak culture, domestication translation strategy is also a decolonizationstrategy. Both domestication and foreignization can be decolonial translation strategy.And put forward:1. Based on the perspective of postcolonial translation, hybrid strategyremains to be further study;2. Translators’ translation version should be considered as across-cultural communication contribution and a factor to resist hegemonic culture;3.No matter what kind of translation strategy the translators take, they should avoidnationalism.