The 58th PhD Academic Salon of Translation Studies, 14 Apr.

Last updated:2015-04-08

Topic: Cultural Fusion in the Translation of Military Classic Text: A Case Study of Giles’ Translation of The Art of War
Speaker: Associate Professor Luo Tian, Chongqing Jiaotong University
Chair: Wang Xiulu

Time: 16:30-18:00, Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Venue: Room 210, School of Foreign Languages Building, South Campus

Abstract: Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, a classic text of strategy written 2500 years ago in China, has been extensively translated around the global and frequently used in field of military, business management and sports. However, the study on the role of translation in this cross-cultural exchange is still inadequate. This paper discusses Lionel Giles’ translation of The Art of War published in 1910 under the framework of cultural fusion theory. It discovers that cultural fusion occurs in a variety of forms in Giles’ translation. Further, the reasons for the fusion are explained from the perspective of translator’s subjectivity, expected readership, and social-historical context. It is suggested that cultural fusion in translation, if managed properly, can help establish a unique identity of source culture and promote the communication as well as co-evolution between the source and target culture. 
Key words: The Art of War; translation; culture; fusion; military

Organizer: 
Translation Studies Institute, Sun Yat-sen University
School of Foreign Languages, Sun Yat-sen University 


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