Abstract
In this study, translation is regarded as an act of State. In the Chinese context, this kind of translation activity not only provides governors and officials with a primary agent of state governance, but also offers Chinese intellectuals imported paradigms of thinking and knowledge of modern science and technologies. Focusing on translation thoughts embedded in the article “On Translation of Books”(Lùn yì shū 論譯書), which was written by the leading Chinese reformer Liang Qichao (Liáng qǐ chāo 梁啟超) in 1897, this paper investigates Liang’s critical comments on the previous translation projects carried out by the national translating institutions and the new translation norms he set forth to guide the future translation activities to save the nation from extinction. Based on a review of the translation thoughts during the late Qing dynasty and close reading of the article “On Translation of Books”, the author finds out that it was Liang Qichao who systematically discussed translation programs initiated by a State for the first time. Moreover, the article “On Translation of Books” is the thinking formation of State Translation Program, a new concept of translation studies put forward by Chinese scholars in 2015. Therefore, it should occupy a significant position in the history of translation thoughts in China.
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Notes
- 1.
As an open-minded official of Qing government, Li Duanfen always believed that talents were crucial to the future of the country. When he presided over the provincial examination, he selected a large number of talents for the country. In the 15th year of Guangxu’s reign (1889), he admired Liang Qichao’s talent and even married his cousin to Liang. Liang always lived in his home when he went to Beijing for examination for several times and even after his marriage. Li advocated taking political reform to save China. In May of the 22nd year of Guangxu’s reign (1896), he presented to Emperor Guangxu a memorial on establishing schools. He suggested that education system reform should be carried out throughout the country. It is also suggested to set up libraries, science museums, translation bureaus, run newspapers and send students to study abroad in this memorial. They were all approved and implemented one by one in two years.
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Acknowledgements
My special thanks go to my doctoral supervisor Professor Dongsheng Ren at Ocean University of China for his guidance and support. And I also wish to thank the editor Riccardo Moratto, whose insightful suggestions greatly helped me in clarifying my argumentation.
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This article is supported by the project of National Fund for Humanities and Social Sciences in China “History Writing of State Translation Program” [grant no. 18BYY019].
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Gao, Y. (2021). Gestation of State Translation Program Embedded in Liang Qichao’s “On Translation of Books” (Lùn Yì Shū 論譯書). 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_10
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