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Article published In: Babel
Vol. 65:5 (2019) ► pp.633–647

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Translating ancient Chinese legal works

A contextualized narrative approach

 | Nanjing University | Anhui University of Technology
 | Nanjing University
Published online: 27 September 2019
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https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00111.dai
Abstract
The notion of narrative is a very productive concept in many disciplines, and it has been introduced and applied effectively in translation studies, where the specific narrative typology and narrative features are drawn and outlined. Based on the understanding of translation and the analysis of narrative features by Baker, this paper examines the issues in translating ancient Chinese legal works. The default narrative features in ancient Chinese legal works are firstly given a detailed explanation, then the challenges to the Western sinologists in re-narrating ancient Chinese legal stories, especially for the purposes of constructing a “moral” world for the Western readers. For the purpose of successful communication, the fundamental elements in Chinese legal tradition should be given more attention. Thus a contextualized narrative strategy is proposed for application in translating ancient Chinese legal works. For successful communication, it requires on the part of the narrator a degree of creative adaptation.
Résumé
La notion de narration est un concept très productif dans de nombreuses disciplines et elle a été introduite et appliquée efficacement en traductologie, où la typologie et les caractéristiques narratives spécifiques sont établies et décrites. Sur la base de la compréhension de la traduction et de l’analyse des caractéristiques narratives de Baker, cet article examine les questions liées à la traduction d’anciens ouvrages juridiques chinois. Nous expliquons d’abord en détail les caractéristiques narratives par défaut dans les anciens ouvrages juridiques chinois. Puis, nous abordons les défis auxquels les sinologues occidentaux sont confrontés lorsqu’ils racontent à nouveau les anciens récits juridiques chinois, en particulier dans le but de construire un monde « moral » à destination des lecteurs occidentaux. Aux fins d’une communication fructueuse, les éléments fondamentaux de la tradition juridique chinoise devraient faire l’objet d’une plus grande attention. Il est donc proposé d’appliquer une stratégie narrative contextualisée à la traduction d’anciens ouvrages juridiques chinois. Le narrateur doit faire preuve d’un certain degré d’adaptation créative pour arriver à une communication réussie.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The default narrative features in ancient Chinese legal works
  • 3.Challenges to Western sinologists of re-narrating ancient Chinese legal stories
  • 4.Contextualizing the re-narration for the construction of a “moral” world
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgement
  • References
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2023. Probabilistic Explanation in Legal Translation Studies. In New Advances in Legal Translation and Interpreting [New Frontiers in Translation Studies, ], ► pp. 113 ff. DOI logo

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