Translation Methods for Food Culture-specific Expressions in David Hawkes’ English Translation of the Chu ci
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55121/cl.v2i1.153Abstract
The Chu ci, a significant legacy of ancient Chinese culture, showcases a diverse range of culinary vocabulary that mirrors the lifestyle of the ancient Chu people and reflects the deep-rooted Jingchu culture of China. This paper focuses on analyzing the translation methods of food-related vocabulary in the Chu ci, with a specific focus on the pieces known as the “Da zhao” (“The Great Summons”）and “Zhao hun” (“Summons of the Soul”) in the canon, which serve as the primary research object in this study. The present study primarily investigates the influential translation of the Chu ci by the renowned sinologist David Hawkes, namely, The Songs of the South (1985). It aims to explores the methods employed by Hawkes in translating the food culture-specific expressions in the Chu ci. The research findings were that as a distinguished sinologist, Hawkes took into consideration the cultural background and cognitive habits of the target readers in translating. He utilized various translation methods such as interpretation, adaptation and communicative translation to effectively interpret the original text. Besides, the paper evaluates the shortcomings present in Hawkes’ translation, including mistranslations and omissions. The goals of this study is to offer some insights and guidance for future translators, promote cross-cultural dissemination and understanding of Chinese culinary culture, and enhance global recognition and appreciation of the unique charm of Chinese civilization.
References
[1] Zhao, R.G., 2018. An Introduction to Chinese Food Culture. Higher Education Press: Beijing. pp. 1–38. (in Chinese)
[2] Xie, J., 2013. A Study on the English Translation of Food and Drink Words in Dream of the Red Chamber. [Ph.D. thesis]. Hubei: South-Central Minzu University. (in Chinese)
[3] Ding, Y., 2018. Translation of Food and Drink Words in Dream of the Red Chamber from the Perspective of Functional Equivalence Theory. [Ph.D. thesis]. Lanzhou: Lanzhou Jiaotong University. (in Chinese)
[4] Chen, Y., Lin, L., 2020. A Comparative Study on the English Translation of Food and Drink Words in Dream of the Red Chamber from the Perspective of Pragmatics—Taking the Translations by Yang Xianyi and Hawkes as Examples. Scientific Consulting. 1, 81-82. (in Chinese)
[5] Zhang, X., 2013. A study on the English translation of Chu Ci [Ph.D. thesis]. Hunan: Human Normal University. (in Chinese)
[6] Yan, X.J., 2017. A Study on the Chinese Traditional Poetic Translation Theory of English Translations of Chu Ci. The commercial press: Beijing. pp. 1–248. (in Chinese)
[7] Fang, M.Z., Dictionary of Translation Studies. The commercial press: Beijing. pp. 1–826. (in Chinese)
[8] Huang, S.Q., Mei, T.S., 1984. The Complete Translation of Chu Ci. Guizhou People's Publishing House: Guiyang. pp. 1–313. (in Chinese)
[9] Hawkes, D., 1985. The songs of the south—An anthology of ancient Chinese poems by Qu Yuan and other poets. Penguin Books: London. pp. 1–352.
[10] Wang, Y., 2017. Chapters and Sentences to the Chu ci. Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House. pp. 1–422. (in Chinese)
[11] Huang, L.G., 2007. Annotations on Chu ci Chapter and Sentences. Zhonghua Book Company: Beijing. pp. 1–2648. (in Chinese)
[12] Xu, S., Xu, X., 2021. Analytical Dictionary of Characters. Shanghai Chinese Classics Publishing House: Shanghai. pp. 1–744. (in Chinese)
[13] Hong, X.Z., 2006. Supplementary Notes on Chu Ci. Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company. pp. 1–328. (in Chinese)
[14] Hong, X.Z., 2018. Wine vessel “shang” in Chinese characters. Xungen, 1, 46–50. (in Chinese)
[15] Li, K., 2007. On the jade ear cup: the relationship between “wine cup”, “feathered wine cup”, “ear cup”. Cultural Relics and Museology. 5, 34–37. (in Chinese)
[16] Huang, L.Z., 2002. Translation Variation Theory: A New Translation Theory. Foreign Language Teaching. 1, 19–22. (in Chinese)
[17] Cheng, S., Zang, J., Wang, Q., et al. 2022. Isolation, Identification, and Probiotic Properties Exploration of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Xichuan Pickles in Henan Province. Chinese Condiments, 2, 60–63, 68. (in Chinese)
[18] Davidson, A., 2014. The Oxford companion to food (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press: Oxford.DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780199677337.001.0001
[19] Liu, R.H., 2003. Health benefits of fruit and vegetables are from additive and synergistic combinations of phytochemicals. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 78(3), 517S-520S. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/78.3.517S
[20] Chen, Z.D., 1985. Livestock and Poultry in the Late Shang Dynasty. Agricultural Archaeology. 2, 288–295. (in Chinese)
[21] Zeng, L., 2015. Discussion on the Word Relationship of Modern Chinese Characters – Taking “yan”, “hu”, “yuan” as Examples. Journal of Anhui University (Philosophy and Social Sciences). 4, 103–109.
[22] Wang, X.F., 2023. The British police provoked the swan. 1, 49. (in Chinese)
[23] Newmark, P., 1976. The theory and the craft of translation, Language Teaching and Linguistics: Abstracts, 9(1), 5–26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444800002913.
[24] Hervey, Sándor, and Ian Higgins. Thinking Translation: A Course in Translation Method: French to English. 1st ed. Routledge, 1992. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203417973.
[25] Wang, F.Z., 1975. A general interpretation of the Chu ci. Zhonghua Book Company: Beijing. pp. 1–320. (in Chinese)
[26] Collins, 2011. Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins Publishers Limited: Scotland. pp. 1–1984.
[27] Liu, G.H., 2017. On the wine culture of the Chu state: Taking "Chu Ci" and Chu bronze wine vessels as examples. Journal of Jingchu University of Technology. 5, 11–14.
[28] Tan, J.B., 2012. The wine culture in Qu Yuan's works. Journal of Yun Meng. 4, 53–54. (in Chinese)
Make a Submission
