从译者角度试析《论语》英译本的翻译比较(3)
The Analects has been translated into foreign languages since nineteenth century by western scholars as well as Chinese scholars. Among the numerous English versions of The Analects, Legge’s, Waley’s, Ku Hungming’s and Lin Yutang’s translations of The Analects are largely accepted and republished till now. James Legge’s version was the first English translation of The Analects and it was regarded as a standard translation in the west for a long time. His translation of The Analects first appeared in Hong Kong in 1861. Arthur Waley’s Lunyu of Confucius was firstly published in 1938 and earned the great popularity and respect among the English readers. His translation was simple and lucid, and his translation of each chapter was usually followed by paraphrases or brief commentaries. Ku hung-ming was the first Chinese scholar who translated Chinese classics into foreign languages. His The Discourses and Sayings of Confucius in 1898 aroused great interests in Europe and American countries. It was said that his translation was much better than those of missionaries and sinologists with regard to the understanding of Confucianism. The biggest feature of his version was his employment of western philosophical language and concepts to interpret Confucianism. Lin Yutang’s version, The Wisdom of Confucius, has gained popularity and acceptance among both western and Chinese readers. Lin Yutang has done much more than offering a brilliant new translation of this immortal classic. He thought the original text was not systematical enough for the westerners to understand, therefore, he edited the original twenty chapters into ten chapters according to his understanding of The Analects. His version is a recreation and a blending of ancient wisdom with the modern point of view.