A Study Of Michael Nylan’s Exemplary Figures From The Perspective Of Thick Translation

Fayan is a philosophical work in the form of sayings and dialogues by Yang Xiong,an important representative of Confucianism in the Han Dynasty.It covers a variety of historical and philosophical issues and is of great importance in guiding us to understand the past and recognize the future.Exemplary Figures,translated in 2013 by American sinologist Michael Nylan,is the latest English translation of the entire 13-volume edition of Fayan.The translation retains the characteristics of the original work to the greatest extent and is accompanied by extensive supplementary materials and annotations,which highly reflect the characteristics of thick translation theory.The thick translation was proposed by the American cultural theorist Anthony Appiah in1993.It emphasizes the intention of the writer and advocates locating the text in a rich cultural and linguistic context through annotations and accompanying glosses,with the aim of preserving the characteristics of the source culture,as well as promoting a fuller understanding of and deeper respect for exotic culture among target readers.This theory is one of the most important guidance for the future translation of Chinese classics such as Fayan,which is characterized by oversimplified words and extensive use of allusions.From the perspective of thick translation,this dissertation analyses the manifestations of the theory in Exemplary Figures,and they are:(1)thick translation outside the text,i.e.acknowledgments,chronology of dynasties,introduction,glossary of names,index and bibliography,etc.;(2)thick translation inside the text,i.e.footnotes,bracketed notes,implicit notes,etc.,which appear extensively in the translation.These supplementary materials put the translation in a profound cultural context,which helps readers of the English world to maximize their understanding of Fayan and to experience the fascination of source language,thus generating more attention to the Chinese culture.In addition,by comparing Nylan’s translation with those of Colvin and Jeffery,this dissertation further highlights the merits of Exemplary Figures from the perspective of thick translation,pointing out the importance of taking into account the fluency of the text while adding notes to the translation.After comparison,this dissertation concludes that Nylan’s Exemplary Figures highly embodies the characteristics of thick translation.Besides,the practice of placing the text in a rich linguistic and cultural environment by adding supplementary materials is worthy to be advocated in translating Fayan and other Chinese classics,so that the translation can be understood and accepted by readers abroad,thus promoting the spread of Chinese culture.