| As one of the most important classics in Chinese history,Tao Te Ching occupies an important position in the cultural exchanges between China and the West.It is by far the most widely translated Chinese work,and its foreign translations can be traced back to the 17th century.In 1842,Stanislas Julien(1797-1873),a French Sinologist,published the complete French version of the Tao Te Ching in Paris,which was the first complete translation of the Tao Te Ching in the French-speaking world.This translation is not only in the French world,but also has an important influence on the later translation of Tao Te Ching in the English world.This paper focuses on the translation of Tao Te Ching published by Julien in 1842,analyzes and summarizes the characteristics of the translation with hermeneutic research methods.First of all,by reviewing the history of the translation and introduction of Tao Te Ching in the West from the 17th to the 19th century,the historical context of the translation is constructed vertically,and the influence of the naturalized interpretation method of early Jesuit missionaries on the early professional sinology studies in France is analyzed.Then,on this basis,this paper tries to present and make a summary of the unique features of this translation through word selection,translation methods and using the translation of "Tao",a culture-loaded word as example.Then,this paper further compares Julien’s translation with that of his teacherRemusat,to clarifythe relationship of inheritance and development between these two,and to summarize the transformation and innovation of Julien’s choice of foreignization translation compared with the predecessor’s domestication translation.Finally,combining with the paratext and analyzing the background of the times and the particularity of the translator’s research orientation,this paper also analyzes the causes of these characteristics.Through research my conclusions are as follows;The translation of Tao Te Ching in the west changed after the 19th century,due to the social changes the early missionaries in the late 18th century gradually stepped down form the historical stage,and the French professional sinology research had its start,but the early missionary methods and ideas in this period is still affecting some scholars.Remusat’s interpretation of the Tao Te Ching has inherited some of the ideas of the Jesuits.Julien’s translation completed in 1842 acted as a link between the Jesuits and the Protestant missionaries,and this translation had a profound influence on the translating work of the Tao Te Ching by John Chalmers(1825—1899)and James Legge(1815-1897).Focusing on the translation itself,through close reading of the text and comparative research among different versions,the following conclusions are drawn:In terms of translation strategy,Julien abandoned the domesticated translation that his predecessors had always used,and adopted a foreignized translation strategy,returning the interpretation of Tao Te Ching to the context of Chinese culture,and clarifying the misunderstanding and misunderstanding caused by his predecessors’interpretation.In terms of translation methods,in order to make the translation as faithful as possible to the original text,Julien chose literal translation,but in the process of translation,he did not blindly rely on literal translation.In terms of language style,Julien’s translation often uses neutral words in the choice of words,and rarely follows western philosophical images or concepts in the interpretation of Chinese philosophical concepts,deliberately keeping the style of the original text.The language of the translation is simple,and it retains the sentence pattern and structure of the original Chinese text,and its style is similar to which of the original.Through the analysis of social background and the translator personal research,under the background of the rise of rationalism in the middle of the 19th century,we can find out scholars at that time paid attention to the translation principles of authenticity.Julien also tried to be faithful to the original material,and combining with his pure motivation and rigorous academic attitude,these factorsall together make contribution to his remarkable fidelity in translating and the characteristics of objectivity,which finally created a version with classic status.Today,the translation of Tao Te Ching by Julien in 1842 is still regarded as a classic because of its faithfulness and objectivity.This phenomenon also provides some reference for the translation of Chinese classics:On the premise of equal cultural status,the "heterogeneity" of other cultures is maintained so as to have an impact on the culture and mainstream values of the target country,and the mutual communication is promoted on the basis of respecting differences,which is also an effective way to achieve deeper dialogue and understanding between different civilizations in cross-cultural translation and introduction. |
