Literary translation research in China

Abstract

This article provides a survey of the central role that literary translation has played in the consolidation of translation studies research in China. The article starts by considering the importance of the practice of translation of religious texts, notably Buddhist sutras, which were accompanied by reflections on the difficulties they posed and references to the strategies used. The next section surveys the explosion of translations of Western literature from the late nineteenth century onwards, as European classics attracted intellectuals of the late Qing dynasty and early Republican state. Interest in things Chinese produced a number of translations first by Western missionaries and later through the initiatives of the successive Chinese governments, showing that translation was becoming increasingly bidirectional. The next sections consider the importation of Western translation theories in China, Chinese translation theories and the interrelationship between the two. Finally, we look at some challenges when rendering Chinese texts into other languages and vice versa.