Study Of The Geographical Distribution Of Chinese Translators: From1840to1966

The present study is conducted under the background that cultural approach totranslation studies and translator study are gaining increasing momentum. It examinestranslators from the perspective of the cyclic movements of translation region. This studyinquires into the distribution features of translator groups and tries to explore a dynamicand multiple research mode of translators, thus deepening translator studies, enrichingdocuments of translation history and promoting the cultural developments.The present thesis investigates the geographical distribution features of Chinesetranslators during the period from1840to1966and explores its social causation. Based onthe related theories in geography and translation studies, the thesis employs the methods ofdata statistics and logic reasoning. The main findings of the thesis are to be seen in thefollowing aspects:1. After the Opium War in1840, southeastern China and cities along the coast ofsoutheastern China became the translator source place due to the fact that western learningwas spread into China via this route. The translation centers alternate from south to northand from southeast to northwest in accordance with the location of translation assemblesestablished by the government or individuals.2. The distribution of translators bears close relations with the geographical features.Large numbers of translators originate from the four key river axes of the Yellow River, theChangjiang River, the Pearl River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal. The key river axesoccupy both excellent natural geography and human geography. Besides, good languageenvironment emerges with convenient transportation，frequent foreign exchanges as wellas prosperous church education and education of studying abroad. As a result, translatorscome out in succession.3. As the main body of translation activities, the groups of translators are on the move all the time. The most important moving ways among them are the moves in a samedirection between teaching and learning, the moves in an opposite direction between takingup an official post, the moves in an opposite direction between promotion and demotion,and the moves in different directions between traveling and removing. Since translator is aprofessional and special occupation, translators opt to move into cities with higherinstitutions or foreign language colleges like Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjing, Nanjing,Chongqing and so on or to the places where institutions of Foreign Affairs and foreignlanguage publishing agencies locate.