What is it about?
Lin Yutang 林語堂 (1895–1976) was a Chinese American writer who wrote primarily in English and acted as an interpreter of Chinese culture for the west. During Lin’s stay in the United States from 1936 to 1966, he produced some thirty works in English to disseminate Chinese philosophy and customs to a western audience. Although Lin was hailed as a cultural ambassador between China and the United States, his translation and rewriting works are sometimes criticised for complying in the colonial power dynamics between China and the west. In this thesis, I demonstrate that Lin’s English translations and rewritings are not only achievements made from personal capabilities in bilingual transfer, but also products of individual efforts in dealing with cultural obstacles imposed by the authorities. I select Famous Chinese Short Stories, Retold by Lin Yutang as a case, to illustrate that Lin’s reworking on traditional Chinese folktale stories constitutes a reinvention of Chinese cultural legacy. Famous Chinese Short Stories, Retold by Lin Yutang contains a selection of twenty tales from both literati and popular sources in ancient Chinese culture, edited and rewritten in English by Lin using western storytelling techniques. As I argue, Lin’s cross-cultural rewriting helps to uncover the humanistic potential of traditional Chinese resources to modernise ancient Chinese society. Especially, his endeavour in translation and cross-cultural communication demonstrates his compassionate perspective on women’s status in ancient China. In addition, this thesis explores the Chinese translation of Famous Chinese Short Stories, Retold by Lin Yutang completed by a Taiwanese translator Zhang Zhenyu 張振玉, and examines the Chinese translation as part of the continued reception of Famous Chinese Short Stories, Retold by Lin Yutang in the Chinese world. As such, the study of Famous Chinese Short Stories, Retold by Lin Yutang provides a valuable reference for the significance of and challenges in translators’ cross-cultural mediation.
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Why is it important?
I quote “Ode, Inscribed to William H. Channing” by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) to end this thesis. In The Oxford Book of American Poetry, the poem goes as follows (Lehman 2006, 35–37), Ode Inscribed to W. H. Charming Though loath to grieve The evil time’s sole patriot, I cannot leave My honied thought For the priest’s cant, Or statesman’s rant. If I refuse My study for their politique, Which at the best is trick, The angry Muse Puts confusion in my brain. But who is he that prates Of the culture of mankind, Of better arts and life? Go, blindworm, go, Behold the famous States Harrying Mexico With rifle and with knife! Or who, with accent bolder, Dare praise the freedom-loving mountaineer? I found by thee, O rushing Contoocook! And in thy valleys, Agiochook! The jackals of the negro-holder. The God who made New Hampshire Taunted the lofty land With little men; — Small bat and wren House in the oak: — If earth-fire cleave The upheaved land, and bury the folk, The southern crocodile would grieve. Virtue palters; Right is hence; Freedom praised, but hid; Funeral eloquence Rattles the coffin-lid. What boots thy zeal, O glowing friend, That would indignant rend The northland from the south? Wherefore? to what good end? Boston Bay and Bunker Hill Would serve things still; — Things are of the snake. The horseman serves the horse, The neatherd serves the neat, The merchant serves the purse, The eater serves his meat; ’T is the day of the chattel, Web to weave, and corn to grind; Things are in the saddle, And ride mankind. There are two laws discrete, Not reconciled, — Law for man, and law for thing; The last builds town and fleet, But it runs wild, And doth the man unking. ’T is fit the forest fall, The steep be graded, The mountain tunnelled, The sand shaded, The orchard planted, The glebe tilled, The prairie granted, The steamer built. Let man serve law for man; Live for friendship, live for love, For truth’s and harmony’s behoof; The state may follow how it can, As Olympus follows Jove. Yet do not I implore The wrinkled shopman to my sounding woods, Nor bid the unwilling senator Ask votes of thrushes in the solitudes. Every one to his chosen work; — Foolish hands may mix and mar; Wise and sure the issues are. Round they roll till dark is light, Sex to sex, and even to odd; — The over-god Who marries Right to Might, Who peoples, unpeoples, — He who exterminates Races by stronger races, Black by white faces, — Knows to bring honey Out of the lion; Grafts gentlest scion On pirate and Turk. The Cossack eats Poland, Like stolen fruit; Her last noble is ruined, Her last poet mute: Straight, into double band The victors divide; Half for freedom strike and stand; — The astonished Muse finds thousands at her side. 1846
Perspectives
reply: Editorial Board of CETR Invitation from BONI FUTURE DIGITAL PUBLISHING, Hong Kong Dear Prof. Liu, Min, After receiving your information, and based on your background, our Editor-in-Chief believes that you could be of more value by joining our team of reviewers. We are also looking for reviewers to make our journal more active. Your academic orientation is compatible with our Journal : Contemporary Education and Teaching Research(ISSN: 2737-4335), you are invited to join our team of reviewers. If you are interested in participating in the journal's academic activities of reviewing manuscripts, we are willing to register your account and send you a welcome letter for the reviewer. Usually, you will be notified by email to review 4-8 articles per year in the relevant speciality, and you will be able to provide feedback on your professional review comments within 7 days. We are convinced that your professonal reviewer comments on the journals articles will help authors improve the quality of their articles so that readers worldwide can read the better-quality content. If you would like to accept this invitation, please kindly reply to me. In addition, for reviewer team we offer an APC discount for publishing articles in this journal; We welcome and hope that you will recommend good reviewers to us. We are more than happy to recommend good reviewers to other members of CETR who seek cooperation in the future. Reviewer Benefits - Reviewer Certificate - Best Reviewer Award after Annual Evaluation - Discounted APC for reviewers . Reviewer Responsibilities - Review 5-10 manuscripts per year. - First Round Review within 7 Days. - Completion of reviews on time. Please reply kindly if you would like to accept the reviewer's invitation in 2024. We will send a welcome letter as soon as possible to register you for a reviewer account; We look forward to hearing from you~ Best Regards. L ääÄ
M.A. Dunelm MA ACIL Min Evelyn de Rothschild Liu.
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This page is a summary of: A ‘partial’ Orientalist, Translation and Interpreting Studies, July 2022, John Benjamins,
DOI: 10.1075/tis.21043.liu.
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