Chapter One Introduction1
1.1 Purpose of the book 5
1.2 Scope of the study of translation history 9
1.3 Structure of the book 13
Chapter TwoThe Translation and Review of SGYY in English 15
2.1 A brief introduction to the Chinese novel SGYY 15
2.2 Sinologists comments on the popularity of SGYY 18
2.3 The translation history of SGYY into English 20
2.3.1Data collection 20
2.3.2A brief introduction to the English translations 21
2.3.3Periodization of the history 37
2.4 The review history of SGYY in the English language 39
2.4.1Data collection 40
2.4.2A brief introduction to the English reviews 40
Chapter Three The Early Period 18201924: Expatriates Endeavors 51
3.1 Other identities of translators 56
3.1.1Identities of foreigners in China during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries 56
3.1.2Identities and perspectives of translators 57
3.2Translation purpose and translation object 63
3.2.1Influence of Chinese culture on the choice of the translator 65
3.2.2Sinologists views on the novel as a literary form 66
3.2.3Translation as leisure-time reading material 69
3.2.4Translation as language learning material 72
3.2.5Translation as research 75
3.3Translation strategies 77
3.3.1Translation strategies 77
3.3.2Reasons for the translation strategies adopted 80
3.4The journal as a unique outlet for translations and reviews 84
3.5Conclusion 89
Chapter FourThe Middle Period 19251975: An Age of Diversity 91
4.1Three translations of the same episode 94
4.1.1Z. Q. Parkers translation 94
4.1.2Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yangs translation 95
4.1.3Cheung Yik-mans translation 98
4.2Charles Henry Brewitt-Taylor and his Romance of the Three Kingdoms 100
4.2.1Charles Henry Brewitt-Taylor 100
4.2.2The reason why Brewitt-Taylor undertook the translation 101
4.2.3Target reader 107
4.2.4Translation strategies 111
4.2.5Publishers role in the formation of the translation 119
4.2.6Mistranslations 122
4.2.7Reception of the translation by Brewitt-Taylors
contemporaries 131
4.2.8Influence of Brewitt-Taylors translation 133
4.3Conclusion 137
Chapter FiveThe Late Period 1976 : The Academic Turn 139
5.1Translation purpose and target audience 141
5.2Production under ideal circumstances 142
5.3The academic turn and the translators subjectivity 143
5.3.1The translator as a scholar 144
5.3.2The translators subjectivity and translation strategies 148
5.6Mistranslations in Moss Robertss versions 164
5.7Conclusion 166
Chapter Six Conclusion169
6.1Historical tendencies of the English translation of
SGYY 171
6.1.1Transformation of the subject of translation activities 171
6.1.2Transformation of the translation purpose and readership 172
6.1.3Transformation of the translators cultural orientation 173
6.2Retranslation and its causality 175
Bibliography 179 Appendices 193
Appendix A: A Catalogue of English Translations of SGYY in chronological order 193
Appendix B:A Catalogue of English Reviews of SGYY in chronological order 196
Appendix C:An Interview with Professor Moss Roberts 198
List of Tables 201
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Preface
In 1820, The Asiatic Journal published the very first translated excerpt of Sanguo yanyi; a work entitled The Death of the Celebrated Minister Tung-cho, translated by P. P. Thoms. A Historical Survey of Sanguo yanyi in English Translation is the first attempt to make an overall descriptive study of the English translation history of Sanguo yanyi.
The translation history is divided into three periods: the early period 18201924, the middle period 19251975 and the late period 1976 . The description of each period encompasses all types of paratexts attached to the versions the preface, afterword, acknowledgements, annotations and titles, etc. and a variety of documents introducing the novel to the English-speaking world book reviews, translation reviews, encyclopedias, anthologies and bibliographies, etc..
In the early period it was mainly expatriates in China who engaged in translation activities. As interested amateurs, they produced versions of texts adapted, summarized or excerpted from the original to help the local expatriate communities and those in their home countries gain a first-hand knowledge of China. Versions appeared in the form of leisure-time reading material, language learning material and research. As the texts were comparatively short, English journals published by expatriates in China served as their major outlet.
In the middle period translation activities show a greater diversity in terms of translator, purpose and target readership. The scope of translation expanded significantly, individual books becoming the dominant publication format. This period witnessed the appearance of the first complete translation of Sanguo yanyi.
The late period has seen a noteworthy academic turn. Moss Roberts, Professor of Chinese at New York University, has retranslated the novel to meet the requirements of teaching and research in the English-speaking countries. His translation, published in its entirety and in an abridged edition, has been patronized by Chinese as well as American presses and academic institutions. It is accompanied by academic paratexts.
Thus the works translation history shows a transformation of translators from amateurs to professionals, an expansion of readerships and shifts of cultural orientation from domestication to foreignization, from simplification to amplification. This book points out that the language ability and interculturality of the translator and his readership are the decisive factors over the cultural orientation of the translation.
This book contains historical and textual analyses of the translation activities of the past nearly 200 years. It devotes much attention to the social and cultural environments that have generated the various versions and promoted their dissemination, and avoids using contemporary standards to evaluate those produced in earlier periods. It also cites numerous instances of the textual characteristics of different versions, extending the discussion beyond abstract theorization. The overall analysis will therefore prove a reliable source for future studies on the English translation and dissemination of the novel.