Critique of Zhou Dunyi's Chinese-to-English Translation: A Perspective of Faithfulness and Accuracy
Abstract:
With the acceleration of globalization and the increasing frequency of cross-cultural exchanges, the importance of translation as a cultural bridge has become more prominent. Faithfulness and accuracy in translation have long been core topics of academic discussion. This challenge is particularly evident when translating classical philosophical works, where maintaining the original ideas' faithfulness while ensuring the translation's accuracy presents significant difficulties in both practical translation and theoretical research. Zhou Dunyi, a prominent philosopher of the Song Dynasty and a key figure in Neo-Confucianism, is known for his profound ideas and cultural richness. His classic work, Explanation of the Diagram of the Great Ultimate (Tài jí Tú shuō), plays a significant role in facilitating the exchange between Chinese and Western cultures. This paper focuses on Zhou Dunyi's works, analyzing the challenges and strategies of their Chinese-to-English translation from the perspective of faithfulness and accuracy. Through a multi-dimensional analysis of semantics, pragmatics, and syntax, the study explores how to preserve the original ideas' faithfulness while ensuring accuracy in translation, especially when addressing the cultural and philosophical terminology in the process of translating the text. The paper aims to critically examine Zhou Dunyi’s translations by balancing faithfulness and accuracy and highlights the importance of translation strategies in cross-cultural communication. It ultimately proposes ways to effectively address the inherent tension between these two principles in the translation of classical philosophical texts.
