A Study On Swann’s Translation Of Nü Jie

Nü Jie ranks among one of the most important works on female instruction in ancient China.As a consequence,it has seen most English translations compared with other female instruction books.The translation by American sinologist Nancy Lee Swann stands out for its scholastic characteristics and has attracted much attention and praise from the sinological community.However,both in China and abroad,studies on Swann’s translation of Nü Jie have been relatively few.Guided by the methodology of Descriptive Translation Studies,this thesis aims to construct a systematical description and in-depth exploration of Swann’s translation as well as its reception and influence.It uses such research methods as background analysis,text close reading and translation comparison.The main findings and conclusions are as follows.Swann’s completion of Lessons for Women involves six stages:historical materials investigation,source text identification,content introduction,text analysis,content translation and post-translation evaluation.Swann attaches importance to the socio-historical connotation and historiographical value of the original text and pursues faithful transmission of the cultural information in Nü Jie.In the arrangement of the content,the translation text is accompanied with detailed notes,bibliography and index,which further deepens the research on the basis of translation and makes it an important feature of her translation.Compared with the English versions of Ayscough,Gulik and Anna Pang,Swann’s translation is more coherent with the original text at both lexical and syntactic level.Therefore it can be summarized as a literal translation,which faithfully represents the concise style of Nü Jie.And this can be interpreted as high respect for and full representation of the original,reflecting Swann’s rigorous style and serious attitude.Originating from purely academic motivations,Swann’s translation was born in an ideal scholarly environment.Lessons for Women is a serious,authoritative,scholarly book featuring in its rich paratexts,in-depth interpretation of female instruction cultural,and meticulous empirical research.As a work combining translation,research,and commentary of Nü Jie,Swann’s translation enriches Western readers’ knowledge about female instruction in ancient China.In addition,it enables Chinese scholars to gain an understanding of sinologists’ way of perceiving and portraying Chinese thought and culture.A century’s dissemination and influence have shown the lasting impact of Swann’s book.As a scholarly translation,it meets the expectations of scholarly readers.Since its first publication in 1932,the book has been reprinted many times and has been still widely included and cited in in academia,leaving a valuable scholarly resource for later sinologists working on Chinese female instruction or ancient society.Its wide circulation in worldwide libraries is an indicator of the extent to which it has been spread and accepted.