Article,
Acculturation and Translation: Chinese Translation History as a Case Study
Translation Watch Quarterly, (2007)
Abstract
Translation today is hardly regarded as a mere linguistic act. It is instead thought of as a cultural act. It is no longer seen as a one-way act, but a two-way process through which two relevant cultures interact or react (acculturate) with each other. This paper studies the historical development of the Chinese translation tradition, offering an explanation of the acculturation process in different periods. There are four translation waves in Chinese history, each having evidently different thoughts and attitudes toward acculturation. The four waves are translation of Buddhist scriptures, translation of the Bible and the Christian doctrines, translation of the western philosophical thoughts and science, and translation since the year 1949 to the present time.
