A Study On The Images Of "Non-orientalism" In Minford’s Version Of Strange Tales From A Chinese Studio

Orientalism can be traced back to the conflict and opposition between the East and the West in ancient Greece.In the 17^thand 18^thcenturies,Chinese philosophy and culture influenced the Enlightenment in the West.However,with the development of industry,the West“imagined”Asia,Africa and even the whole East as backward,despotic and unscientific from the perspective of colonists.Through literary translation,they have constructed numerous negative“exotic”images,which are ignorant and stereotypical.Gützlaff,a missionary,translates Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio into paganism by means of cross-cultural manipulation,who greatly rewrites and changes the plots and theme of original texts and makes it full of Oriental colors.Minford,a British Sinologist,who keeps on the concept of“the best China”,immersing himself in Chinese emotional experience and the value identification of Chinese culture in his research,making it the key factor for showing the non-Orientalism characteristic of his English version and gaining greater acceptance from readers and more accurate image construction.Based on Said’s Orientalism and Minford’s Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio,this paper explores the roles and influences of non-Orientalism in translation studies by way of giving examples.The specific research questions are as follows:1.Is there feasibility of studying non-Orientalism in Minford’s version?2.How does Minford’s version reveal the characteristic of non-Orientalism in image construction,poetry and songs,annotations and understanding of classical Chinese?3.What are the significance of Orientalism to Chinese culture construction and cultural confidence?This paper applies descriptive translation method,close reading method,comparative method and induction method to evoke the thinking of non-Orientalism in Minford’s version.The results reveal that:1.Studying non-Orientalism to translation research will provide inspiration for grasping Chinese cultural background and selecting translation strategies and techniques.2.Minford’s version is precise,clear and easy to read.It fits the meaning and purpose of original text and is greatly accepted by English readers.3.Western translators show a trend of respect and appreciation for English translation of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.Minford’s version,as a representative of non-Orientalism,has greatly improved western readers’understanding of Chinese culture and helped western scholars gradually freed from cultural centralism shackles,and consolidated the multi-cultural coexistence and development of the world.The significance of this paper is to advocate Chinese people to enhance cultural self-confidence and build a discourse system with Chinese characteristics and Chinese style.