A Study On The Translation And Translation Strategies Of Three English Versions Of Huang Di Nei Jing Under The Three Core Conceptions Of Reception Theory

Objective: Huang Di Nei Jing is one of the earliest traditional medical classics in China.It not only discusses the medicine from a holistic perspective,but also includes the natural,psychological,social,linguistic and literary phenomena in ancient China.Thus,it is more than a medical work of great influence in China,attracting the attention of foreign historians and linguists all around the world.Since 1967,when professor Jauss proposed the "Reception Theory" for the first time,the focus of translation studies began to shift from the text or author to readers.This new theory emphases on the the dynamic relationship between the author,the text and the reader,and illuminates the creative influence of the reader on improving the meaning and aesthetic value of the literal work.The three core conceptions,“Horizon of expectations”,”Fusion of horizons” and “Indeterminacy”,provide the theoretical support for this paper.Methods This paper uses the three core conceptions of the Reception Theory.Based on the research method of literature research method,this paper selects representative examples from three areas,medical terms,philosophical or cultural images and the aesthetic value of language.This paper analyses the influence of readers during the translation activities,the translation methods adopted by the translators and final effects.Results This paper makes a comparative analysis of the three English versions of Huang Di Nei Jing from three aspects:medical sentences,philosophical and cultural sentences and the literary sentences.It summarizes the translation strategies of Huang Di Nei Jing and even the English translation of Traditional Chinese Medicine classics,and puts forward some suggestions to improve the the quality of TCM classics so that a better acceptability can be achieved.Conclusion It is found that there are obvious differences in the three versions of English translations of Huang Di Nei Jing.The target readers of Unschuld's translation are mainly historians and linguists,so this version endeavors to meet the horizon of expectation of target readers in the aspects of philosophical and cultural images as well as language aesthetics.The reader of Maoshing Ni's translation aims at general public readers and medical practitioners.Therefore,he attaches great importance to the accuracy of medical information in Huang Di Nei Jing and is good at mobilizing readers' reading enthusiasm by using indeterminacy of the text appropriately.Li Zhaoguo's translation failed to locate his target readers accurately,so this version does no receive a wide and good effect as Unschuld's and Maoshing Ni's.But this version receives a good feedback among foreign students who major in TCM in China.Li pays attention to instilling readers with Chinese unique cultural terms,which makes his translation better than the previous two versions in the aspect of exceeding the expectations of readers and realizing the fusion of horizon.Therefore,on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the three translation versions,this paper proposes three main translation strategies for the English translation of TCM classics from the perspective of reception theory.Firstly,clearly position the readers and meet the horizon of expectations of the target readers.Secondly,narrow the difference between Chinese and Western philosophy as well as culture and increase the fusion of horizon;Thirdly,pay attention to the aesthetic feeling of literary language and appropriately compensate for the indeterminacy of the text.