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2025/26 School of Chinese Research Student Seminar

The “Otherness” of Cultural Back-Translation: An example of A Short History of Chinese Philosophy translated by Zhao Fusan

文化回譯過程中的他者性：以《中國哲學簡史》趙復三版中譯本為例

Abstract:

As a distinctive yet under-explored topic in Translation Studies, cultural back-translation (CBT) requires deeper theoretical systematization and broader application in scope. While existing research on it has predominantly focused on literary texts, non-literary works have received scant attention. Addressing this gap, this research first undertakes a systematic conceptual review of CBT, proposing that its essence lies in the cross-connection between the source text’s content and the target culture and advocates for the application and examination of CBT in non-literary contexts.

By referring to the above framework, this study, through a detailed textual analysis of Zhao Fusan’s translation of Feng Youlan’s A Short History of Chinese Philosophy, which is argued as a representative translation under the definition of CBT, identifies a descriptive phenomenon of “Otherness” in its translation. The findings reveal that Zhao’s translation constructs a unique “Otherness” in the reading experience for the Chinese audience. While this “Otherness” may present challenges to reader reception, it also emerges as a defining characteristic of the cultural back-translation process itself.

This research aims to contribute to the field in three ways: (1) it expands the scope of CBT research into the non-literary domain; (2) it provides a new perspective on the translation study of A Short History of Chinese Philosophy; and (3) it offers innovative theoretical and case-based insights into the discussion of “Otherness” in translation and readers’ reception.

文化回譯作為一種特殊的翻譯現象，其概念內涵與研究範圍尚待釐清。且現有研究多集中於文學領域。為彌補這一不足，本文首先對文化回譯及相關討論進行了梳理與界定，提出其本質在於源語文本內容與目的語文化之間的錯位交叉。同時本文主張將文化回譯的研究範疇擴展至非文學文本。

基於上述理論框架，本文選取趙復三版中譯本《中國哲學簡史》作為非文學文化回譯的典型案例，進一步分析其譯文。通過對趙版譯文的多角度分析，本文指出譯文中存在顯著的“他者性”現象。本研究認為，這種“他者”之感並非偶然的翻譯策略選擇，而是文化回譯過衝中由於其本質所決定的必然產物。本文進一步論證，“他者性”在文化回譯譯文的讀者接受中扮演著雙重角色：既可以構成理解障礙，亦能成為文化回譯譯文的獨特張力。

本研究以期為《中國哲學簡史》的譯文研究提供新視角，同時將文化回譯概念延伸至非文學領域，進而促進對於翻譯中文化和讀者接受之間關係的理解。