A Study On The Translation Of Culture-loaded Words In Lun Yu From The Perspective Of Gadamer’s Hermeneutics Theory

Lun Yu,as a crystal pearl of Chinese classics,plays an essential role in the history of Chinese literature.As we all know,there are miscellaneous culture-loaded words in Lun Yu.These simple and vivid culture-loaded words can be regarded as a striking feature of Lun Yu.However,how to convey the profound meanings of these culture-loaded words in target language and get acceptance and understanding from target readers becomes one of the most intractable problems for translators.Among the multitudinous English versions of Lun Yu,Ku Hung-ming’s version is the most popular one in western countries,which has made a great contribution to diffusing Chinese traditional culture.Therefore,this thesis selects Ku Hung-ming’s version as the research object to explore the translation of its culture-loaded words with Gadamer’s hermeneutics theory.Based on Nida’s classification of culture,this thesis divides the culture-loaded words in Lun Yu into five categories.It attempts to use the three key principles of “historicality of understanding”,“fusion of horizons” and “effective history” in Gadamer’s hermeneutics as the theory guide to analyze the translation of culture-loaded words in Ku Hung-ming’s version by using the method of case analysis.Then it analyzes the reasons for Ku’s translation strategies,expression forms and implications for translating culture-loaded words with Gadamer’s hermeneutics.The results prove that hermeneutics is applicable to express the translation of culture-loaded words.“Historicality of understanding”shows that people exist historically and they cannot get rid of their historical particularities.Ku Hung-ming’s undertranslation is notnecessarily negative but has its rationality to exist.“Fusion of horizons”indicates that translation actually is a process in which Ku tries to merge the horizon of the original text with that of target readers.In order to make target readers have a better understanding of the profound meanings of culture-loaded words in Lun Yu,culture filtration is applied in his translation inevitably.“Effective history” can help the latter translators find new sources of understanding on the basis of Ku’s translation,trying to boost innovation on form and content.Through analyzing the translation of culture-loaded words in Ku’s version with the three key principles in Gadamer’s hermeneutics,it reveals the enlightenment and significance of hermeneutics to the translation of culture-loaded words.At the same time,this thesis hopes to provide a new theoretical basis for the research of Ku Hung-ming’s version of Lun Yu,promoting people with different cultural backgrounds to further narrow the gap of cultural understanding and achieve the goal of cultural exchanges.