Stella Sorby

Bio: Stella Sorby is an academic researcher. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 1 citations.

Yan Fu’s translation ‘principle(s)’ and Huxley’s Evolution and Ethics

Abstract: For more than a century, Yan Fu’s translation principle(s) had a great influence on translation theory and practice in China and beyond. Largely because of the pithiness of the principle(s) and Yan’s marked departure from fidelity – an aspect of the principle, there has been much discussion. The lack of a theoretical tradition in Chinese translation discourse has led to impressionistic interpretations of the principle(s), often unmoored from its/their historical context. Given the various degrees of simplification and reductionism belie the multi-layered complexity of translation, a critical and nuanced discussion of the origin and function of the principle(s) is needed to rectify some of the prevailing and persistent misconceptions and to steer the discussion in meaningful and constructive directions to avoid an ahistorical and anachronistic use of the principle(s), which has led to conceptual confusion and methodological weakness. This article contextualizes Yan Fu’s ‘unorthodox way of translating’ Huxley’s Evolution and Ethics by relating it to the deep sense of national crisis among Chinese intellectuals who were trying to find ways to enlighten the general public for China’s national survival, which is conducive to justifying the almost unapologetically adaptive nature of Yan’s translation practice, whose success and influence are undeniable.