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A Construal Analysis of A Preliminary Survey of the Book: Qi Min Yao Shu Translated by Shi Shenghan and Revised by Joseph Needham

Received: 12 July 2022     Accepted: 24 July 2022     Published: 29 July 2022
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Abstract

This paper examines the concept of construal, the components of construal and the correlation of construal and translation, then employs the five elements of construal to investigate the construal disparities of Shi Shenghan and Joseph Needham when translating A Preliminary Survey of the Book: Qi Min Yao Shu based on three dimensional analysis: the translation of the book title, the sentence and the paragraph. It is found that their construal disparities are embodied not only in the selection of translation strategies and methods, but also in that of words and expressions, sentence structures, positive and passive voices, figurative devices and language forms/genre type in translation, which is inseparable from the background knowledge and cultural scope the translator possesses, the focus of prominence the translator desires, the standpoint and viewpoint the translator holds, and the varying levels of precision and detail the translator portrays. Apart from Shi’s translation manuscript and Joseph’s revision, the first-hand material involved, this research takes no the translation principle and quality into considerations, providing a relatively new perspective for translation studies compared with the prescriptive one and that of imposing value-judgement.

Published in International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 8, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220803.12
Page(s) 90-95
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Construal, The Five Elements of Construal, Translation Manuscript, A Preliminary Survey of the Book: Qi Min Yao Shu, Shi Shenghan, Joseph Needham

References
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[2] Dan, Chen. (2017). On English Translation Strategies of Chinese Agricultural Classics with Reference to: A Preliminary Survey of the Book: Qi Min Yao Shu. Yangling: Northwest A &F University.
[3] Hui, Yuan & Wenyan, Liu.(2020). An Eco-translatologic Approach to English Translation Strategies of Agricultural Terms —— A Preliminary Survey of the Book: Qi Min Yao Shu. Journal of Hubei Open Vocational College, 33 (22): 181-182+187.
[4] Hui, Yuan & Wenyan, Liu.(2021). An Eco-translatologic Approach to English Translation of Agricultural Product Processing in “A Preliminary Survey of the Book: Qi Min Yao Shu”. Journal of Hubei Open Vocational College, 36 (06): 186-187+190.
[5] Chomsky, N. (1957). Syntactic Structures. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
[6] Merleau-Ponty, M. (1962). Phenomenology of Perception. London: Routledge Press.
[7] Lakoff, G. & Johnson, M. (1999). Philosophy in the Flesh—The Embodied Mind its Challenge to Western Thought. New York: Basic Book.
[8] Langacker, R. W. (1987). Foundations of Cognitive Grammar, vol I: Theoretical Prerequisites. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 51, 138, 294.
[9] Langacker, R. W. (1990). Concept Image and Symbol: the Cognitive Basis of Grammar. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
[10] Langacker, R. W. (1991). Foundations of Cognitive Grammar, vol II: Descriptive Application. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
[11] Langacker, R. W. (1999). Grammar and Conceptualization. Berlin /New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 5, 6, 7.
[12] Maldonado, R. (2004). Ronald Langacker: A Visit to Cognitive Grammar. Annual Review of Cognitive Linguistics, 24 (2): 305-319.
[13] Lakoff, G. & M. Johnson. (1980). Metaphors We Live by. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
[14] Fillmore, C. J. (1982). Frame Semantic. In The Linguistic Society of Korea (ed.). Linguistics in the Morning Calm Seoul: Hanshin Publishing Co., 111-137.
[15] Talmy, L. (1988). Force Dynamics in Language and Cognition. Cognitive Linguistics, 12 (1): 49-100.
[16] Croft, W. & Cruse, D. A. (2004). Cognitive Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 46, 40.
[17] Gutt, E. A. (2010). Translation and Relevance: Cognition and Context (2nd edition). New York: Routledge.
[18] Robinson, D. (1991). The Translator’s Turn. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
[19] Neubert, A. (2000). Competence in language, in languages and in translation. In Schäffner, C.& Adab, B. (eds.). Developing translation competence. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 3-18.
[20] Munday, J. (2001). Introducing Translation Studies: Theories and Applications. New York: Routledge.
[21] Boase-Beier, J. (2005). Bringing Together Science and Poetry: Translating the Bystander in German Poetry After the Holocaust. Comparative Critical Studies, 2 (1): 33-105.
[22] Martin, R. W. (2010). On Paradigm and Cognitive Translatology. In Shreve, G. M. & Angelone, E. (eds.) Translation and Cognition. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 169-187.
[23] Yin, Wang. (2021). Embodied-cognitive Translatology. Peking: Peking University Press.
[24] Klaudy, K. (2008). Explicitation. In Baker, M. & Saldanha, G. (eds.). Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies. London: Routledge, 80-85.
[25] Shi Shenghan. (1958). A Preliminary Survey of the Book Qi Min Yao Shu (translation manuscript).
[26] Langacker, R. W. (1998). Conceptualization, symbolization, and grammar. In Michael T. (ed.). The New Psychology of Language: Cognitive and Functional Approaches to Language Structure. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1-39.
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  • APA Style

    Baoguo Zhang. (2022). A Construal Analysis of A Preliminary Survey of the Book: Qi Min Yao Shu Translated by Shi Shenghan and Revised by Joseph Needham. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 8(3), 90-95. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220803.12

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    ACS Style

    Baoguo Zhang. A Construal Analysis of A Preliminary Survey of the Book: Qi Min Yao Shu Translated by Shi Shenghan and Revised by Joseph Needham. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2022, 8(3), 90-95. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220803.12

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    AMA Style

    Baoguo Zhang. A Construal Analysis of A Preliminary Survey of the Book: Qi Min Yao Shu Translated by Shi Shenghan and Revised by Joseph Needham. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2022;8(3):90-95. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20220803.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20220803.12,
      author = {Baoguo Zhang},
      title = {A Construal Analysis of A Preliminary Survey of the Book: Qi Min Yao Shu Translated by Shi Shenghan and Revised by Joseph Needham},
      journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
      volume = {8},
      number = {3},
      pages = {90-95},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20220803.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20220803.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20220803.12},
      abstract = {This paper examines the concept of construal, the components of construal and the correlation of construal and translation, then employs the five elements of construal to investigate the construal disparities of Shi Shenghan and Joseph Needham when translating A Preliminary Survey of the Book: Qi Min Yao Shu based on three dimensional analysis: the translation of the book title, the sentence and the paragraph. It is found that their construal disparities are embodied not only in the selection of translation strategies and methods, but also in that of words and expressions, sentence structures, positive and passive voices, figurative devices and language forms/genre type in translation, which is inseparable from the background knowledge and cultural scope the translator possesses, the focus of prominence the translator desires, the standpoint and viewpoint the translator holds, and the varying levels of precision and detail the translator portrays. Apart from Shi’s translation manuscript and Joseph’s revision, the first-hand material involved, this research takes no the translation principle and quality into considerations, providing a relatively new perspective for translation studies compared with the prescriptive one and that of imposing value-judgement.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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    AB  - This paper examines the concept of construal, the components of construal and the correlation of construal and translation, then employs the five elements of construal to investigate the construal disparities of Shi Shenghan and Joseph Needham when translating A Preliminary Survey of the Book: Qi Min Yao Shu based on three dimensional analysis: the translation of the book title, the sentence and the paragraph. It is found that their construal disparities are embodied not only in the selection of translation strategies and methods, but also in that of words and expressions, sentence structures, positive and passive voices, figurative devices and language forms/genre type in translation, which is inseparable from the background knowledge and cultural scope the translator possesses, the focus of prominence the translator desires, the standpoint and viewpoint the translator holds, and the varying levels of precision and detail the translator portrays. Apart from Shi’s translation manuscript and Joseph’s revision, the first-hand material involved, this research takes no the translation principle and quality into considerations, providing a relatively new perspective for translation studies compared with the prescriptive one and that of imposing value-judgement.
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Author Information
  • School of Foreign Languages and Literature, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

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