Chronology Entry
Year
1899-1925
Text
Chi, Yuan-wen. Transforming and translating the form : the examples of Daniel Defoe and Lin Shu. [ID D26910].
One of the chief contributions of Lin Shu's translations lies in the fact that Chinese society first came to be acquainted with the lives, customs and habits of the Westerners and their emotions, feelings and ethos through the vivid dspictions of these rendered texts. Due to the limitations in Lin and his collaborators' knowledge and scope of Western literature, the quality of their joint enterprise was uneven – some translations are so beautifully phrased and structured that they are arguably better than the source texts, whereas some translations do not come close to reflecting the style and content of the original work.
While Lin Shu directed the translation project, his overall control was limited as he had no knowledge about Western literature, and thus had no say in the selection of the texts, which depended entirely upon the literary tastes of his collaborators. From the perspective of translation studies today, the works he chose to translate are strangely characterized by, and fluctuate wildly between, masterpieces and trash.
In his prefaces, forewords, and epilogues of these works, Lin Shu dwells upon his career in translation, his views on literature, and expresses his concern about the fate of the nation. These discourses provide us with valuable insights into the evolution and trajectory of his thoughts on society and culture. Lin Shu lamented the fact that he was too old to serve his country. His contribution to the distinctly national effort was to translate books to encourage the youth to devote themselves to learning science and technology, promoting the didacticism of literature and commenting on the decay and moral degeneration of the age.
Translating into the classical forms of Chinese which were remote and distinct from everyday language usage, Lin Shu's translations are often criticized as being fluent and elegant at the expense of its true novelistic form.
Limited by his own education and background, Lin Shu was unable to catch up with the urgent needs for a clear and simple written vernacular language for the purpose of universal literacy. Although he fiercely defended classical Chinese language and literature, he was fighting a battle which was doomed to lose : "Classical language is not so good as modern language in terms of popularity. The one is finite, whereas the other is infinite".
One of the chief contributions of Lin Shu's translations lies in the fact that Chinese society first came to be acquainted with the lives, customs and habits of the Westerners and their emotions, feelings and ethos through the vivid dspictions of these rendered texts. Due to the limitations in Lin and his collaborators' knowledge and scope of Western literature, the quality of their joint enterprise was uneven – some translations are so beautifully phrased and structured that they are arguably better than the source texts, whereas some translations do not come close to reflecting the style and content of the original work.
While Lin Shu directed the translation project, his overall control was limited as he had no knowledge about Western literature, and thus had no say in the selection of the texts, which depended entirely upon the literary tastes of his collaborators. From the perspective of translation studies today, the works he chose to translate are strangely characterized by, and fluctuate wildly between, masterpieces and trash.
In his prefaces, forewords, and epilogues of these works, Lin Shu dwells upon his career in translation, his views on literature, and expresses his concern about the fate of the nation. These discourses provide us with valuable insights into the evolution and trajectory of his thoughts on society and culture. Lin Shu lamented the fact that he was too old to serve his country. His contribution to the distinctly national effort was to translate books to encourage the youth to devote themselves to learning science and technology, promoting the didacticism of literature and commenting on the decay and moral degeneration of the age.
Translating into the classical forms of Chinese which were remote and distinct from everyday language usage, Lin Shu's translations are often criticized as being fluent and elegant at the expense of its true novelistic form.
Limited by his own education and background, Lin Shu was unable to catch up with the urgent needs for a clear and simple written vernacular language for the purpose of universal literacy. Although he fiercely defended classical Chinese language and literature, he was fighting a battle which was doomed to lose : "Classical language is not so good as modern language in terms of popularity. The one is finite, whereas the other is infinite".
Mentioned People (1)
Lin, Shu
(Minxian = Fuzhou, Fujian 1852-1924 Beijing) : Übersetzer
Subjects
Translation : History and Theory
/
Translator
Documents (1)
| # | Year | Bibliographical Data | Type / Abbreviation | Linked Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006 | Chi, Yuan-wen. Transforming and translating the form : the examples of Daniel Defoe and Lin Shu. In : Tamkang review ; vol. 36, no 4 (2006). [Paper presented at the Transculturalism : an international conference, Institute of European and American Studies, Academia Sinica, Taipei. | Publication / DefD80 |