A Comparative Analysis of James Legge and Ku Hung—ming’s English Versions in Xue Er from the Perspective of Cultural Filter

孫艷

【Abstract】As one of the most representative works of China， Lun Yü has been playing a very important part both at home and abroad. James Legge and Ku Hung-ming s English versions both are popular among foreign readers and made great contributions to the transmission of Chinese culture. This thesis uses a comparative study on Kus and Legges versions of “Zi” and “君子” in Xue Er which is the first chapter of Lun Yü， from the perspective of cultural filter to simply analyze the characteristic of the two English versions. Through the analysis， this study finds that cultural filter occurs due to the cultural differences and the translators consideration of cultural elements both within and beyond the text.

【Key words】Comparative Analysis； Cultural Filter； English Versions； Xue Er

1. Introduction

Lun Yü is said to be written by Confuciuss disciples， is mainly about the words and acts of the central Chinese thinker and philosopher Confucius and his disciples. By studying the two English versions translated by James Legge and Ku Hung-ming from the perspective of cultural filter， we found out that Ku Hung-mings version stresses the moral demands of Chinese Confucianism. He tends to use more liberal translation.（趙倩慧，p22-p23）. James Legges translation is one of the most classical one among many foreign translation. In his translation， we can find more literal translation and more sameness in thinking patterns and syntactic structures. His wording is very simplified and concise. However， they all filter some Chinese ancient cultural words.

2. Cultural Filter

By studying translation together with text and context， House interprets cultural filter from a sociological perspective. In his book Translation Quality Assessment ： Past and present （p68）， he explains cultural filter is a means of capturing socio-cultural differences in expectation norms and stylistic conventions between the source and target linguistic-cultural communities. The concept was used to emphasize the need for empirical bases for any ‘manipulations on the original undertaken by the translator.

3. Comparison Analysis of the Two Versions from the Perspective of Cultural Filter

3.1.1 The translation of “Zi”

From the whole Xue Er， we can find “Zi” which especially refers to Confucius is used for ten times. Ku Hung-ming translates them as “Confucius”， while Legge translates them into “The Master”.

On the translation of the two English versions， Kus version is literal translation which is specific and conveys the meaning of the source text comparatively accurate. While Legges translation on this word is free translation， the reference is relatively broad. “子” has the specific Chinese meaning especially referring to Confucius who is a Chinese teacher， politician， and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. Legges version filters the specific Chinese meaning.

3.1.2 The translation of “君子”

In the whole Xue Er， “君子” appears four times. Ku translates it as “A wise and good man and “a wise man”. While Legge translates it into “a man of complete virtue”， “the superior man ” and “the scholar”.

What kind of people can be called “君子” at Confuciuss time？ It is explained in the dictionary（《古漢語常用字字典》，p225）：“ 1. 對統治者和貴族男子的尊稱；2. 指有道德或學問修養的人；3. 對對方的尊稱；4. 妻子稱丈夫；5. 稱自己的父親。” According to these translations， the strategy of Legges version is domestication which entails translating in a transparent， fluent， ‘invisible style in order to minimize the foreignness of the TT. And it is easy for the English readers to understand and accept. As is well-known， “君子” in Chinese ancient time also has its specific meaning. Ku and Legge all filter the Chinese meaning and dont convey the Chinese special meaning specifically.

4. Conclusion

In conclusion， Cultural Filter is receivers conscious or unconscious choice， transformation， disguise， etc， of the communicated information because of their different cultural tradition， historical background， aesthetic habits， etc， which changes the original information in content and form. Generally speaking， the larger the cultural gap between two cultures， the more original culture will be filtered.

References：

[1]Juliane House（2015）.Translation Quality Assessment：Past and present，Routledge.