Abstract

Tao Te Ching is also called Laotse. The concepts of Tao, Wuwei and the dialectic ideology in Tao Te Ching have a profound influence. Such passion of research even spreads abroad. It is estimated that there are over two hundred English translations.

Having so many translations to choose, how to judge or evaluate a translation is now an important problem. As the character of a translation depends on the writing style of a translator, evaluating translators’ strategies is a key approach to solve the problem.

Therefore, the thesis selected English translations of Tao Te Ching by Lin Yutang and by James Legge, each of who had advantages in both Chinese and English, as objects, studying the principles, diction and rhetorical devices they used when translating Tao Te Ching and their effects, so that we can draw some experience when translating Chinese traditional classics in the future. Finally it was found that wording in Legge’s translation was complicated. He overstressed the accuracy of words and to some degree decreased the beauty of the original text. However, Lin Yutang’s translation not only successfully preserved the beauty of form in the original text, but also faithfully conveyed Laotse’s values.

Key words: Tao Te Ching, Lin Yutang, James Legge, comparison, translation strategies

摘        要

《道德经》，也被称为《老子》。其中关于“道”、“无为”、“辩证”等理念影响深远。研究《道德经》的热潮甚至也蔓延到了海外。据统计，《道德经》英文译本有超过二百种。
有了这么多选择，在众多译丛中如何取舍也就成为了一个重要的问题。由于译作的特点几乎等价于译者的特点，所以评估译者所采用的翻译策略无疑是解决这一问题的关键手段。
因此，本论文选取了在英文、中文方面各有优势的詹姆士•理雅各和林语堂各自的《道德经》译本为研究对象，着重研究他们各自在翻译《道德经》时所采用的指导原则、词汇和修辞等翻译策略有何差异并产生了什么效果，从而为将来进行中国古文化典籍英译提供一定借鉴经验。最后发现理雅各的译本用词复杂，过于强调语言的准确，某种程度上削弱了原文的美感。而林语堂的译本不仅成功地保留了源文本语言的形式美，而且忠实地传达了老子的价值观。


关键词：道德经，林语堂，理雅各，比较，翻译策略