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Translating Concepts in Chinese: A Case Study Based on The Wealth of Nations

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Diverse Voices in Chinese Translation and Interpreting

Part of the book series: New Frontiers in Translation Studies ((NFTS))

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Abstract

The modern history of China is entwined with the publicity, adaptation, and acceptance of western sociological and philosophical ideas, the initial stage of which was pervasively mediated by translation. Owing to the prominent role that concepts play in constructing ideological frameworks, the translation of concepts weighs heavily in this knowledge communication process. Set in this context, this essay examines the translation history of five concepts selected from The Wealth of Nations, based on six Chinese versions published between 1901 and 2001. These concepts are nation, wealth, workmen, labor, and value. By tracing and comparing different translations in a chronological order inspired by Begriffsgeschichte (also known as Conceptual History in contemporary scholarship), this study aims to provide a comparative insight into the translation of chosen concepts as well as the changing meanings that they convey in a descriptive manner.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    http://genealogiesofknowledge.net.

  2. 2.

    All page numbers of abridged paragraphs are as in WN, edited by Edwin R. A. Seligman (1910).

  3. 3.

    《左传·成公二年》: 礼以义行,义以生利,利以平民,政之大节也。

  4. 4.

    720–645 BC, a philosopher and politician who served as chancellor and was a reformer of the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history.

  5. 5.

    《史记》: 仓廪实而知礼节,衣食足而知荣辱。

  6. 6.

    《周礼·天官冢宰·大宰》: 九曰籔,以富得民。

  7. 7.

    《后汉书·方术列传上·许杨》: 明府今兴立废业,富国安民 […]。

  8. 8.

    経済学で、人間がその生存に必要な物資を得るために、手・足・頭脳などの活動によって労働対象にはたらきかけること。[https://kotobank.jp/word/労働・労動-2093544].

  9. 9.

    明治三〇年頃から活動が盛んになった労働運動では、「労働」を用いている。[ibid.]

  10. 10.

    真值不由功力决定。(《原富》手稿,嚴復,1901–1902。)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Translation Studies, University College London, Gower Street, London, UK

    Sui He

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  1. Sui He
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Correspondence to Sui He .

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  1. Former Associate Professor at Hunan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Riccardo Moratto

  2. Foreign Studies College, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China

    Martin Woesler

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He, S. (2021). Translating Concepts in Chinese: A Case Study Based on The Wealth of Nations. In: Moratto, R., Woesler, M. (eds) Diverse Voices in Chinese Translation and Interpreting. New Frontiers in Translation Studies. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4283-5_1

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