TITLE:
A Comparative Study of Translations of Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture in Hong Lou Meng
AUTHORS:
Zhiqing Ding, Haicui Zheng
KEYWORDS:
Hong Lou Meng, Translation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture, The Yangs’ Translation, The English Version by David Hawkes and John Minford
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Linguistics,
Vol.14 No.4,
August
7,
2024
ABSTRACT: As an all-encompassing literary masterpiece, Hong Lou Meng covers a wild range of traditional Chinese culture, especially the traditional Chinese medicine culture which runs through the whole book. The traditional Chinese medicine culture in the book reflects Cao Xueqin’s extensive medical knowledge, showing readers the rich cultural connotation and practical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine. Chapter Ten Dr. Zhang Discusses the Root Cause of Qin’s Disease describes the whole process of Dr. Zhang’s medical treatment of Qin Keqing in detail. Taking Qin Keqing medical case as an example, this paper compares and analyzes the similarities and differences between the translation by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang (abbr. the Yangs’ translation) and the translation by David Hawkes and John Minford of traditional Chinese medicine culture. And the paper explores the efforts made by the translators in preserving the traditional culture of the source language and the cultural connotation of traditional Chinese medicine and taking into account the acceptance of the target readers, aiming to enrich the translation studies of the these two English versions of Hong Lou Meng and promote the spread of traditional Chinese medicine culture at home and abroad. The comparative study on the two English versions finds out that the Yangs tend to use foreignization to preserve the traditional Chinese medicine culture, while Hawkes is inclined to adopt domestication to better fit the culture of the target language and help the target readers understand the source text well.