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“Transforming and translating the form : the examples of Daniel Defoe and Lin Shu” (Publication, 2006)

Year

2006

Text

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. (DefD80)

Type

Publication

Mentioned People (2)

Defoe, Daniel  (London Ende 1659 oder Anfang 1660-1731 London) : Schriftsteller

Lin, Shu  (Minxian = Fuzhou, Fujian 1852-1924 Beijing) : Übersetzer

Subjects

Literature : Occident : Great Britain / References / Sources

Chronology Entries (1)

# Year Text Linked Data
1 1899-1925 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".

Cited by (1)

# Year Bibliographical Data Type / Abbreviation Linked Data
1 2000- Asien-Orient-Institut Universität Zürich Organisation / AOI
  • Cited by: Huppertz, Josefine ; Köster, Hermann. Kleine China-Beiträge. (St. Augustin : Selbstverlag, 1979). [Hermann Köster zum 75. Geburtstag].

    [Enthält : Ostasieneise von Wilhelm Schmidt 1935 von Josefine Huppertz ; Konfuzianismus von Xunzi von Hermann Köster]. (Huppe1, Published)