Replication and recreation of a classic: Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang’s English translation of The Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji)

Abstract

Yang Hsien-yi (楊憲益) and Gladys Yang’s Selections from Records of the Historian is one of the classic English translations of the Shiji (史記) by Sima Qian (司馬遷). Yang and Yang used distinctive translation strategies in their translation process: faithfulness to the original text, recreation of a classic, flexibility as necessary, and ensuring readability. The translators preserved the structure of the Shiji whenever possible and accentuated the culturally unique thought systems of the Shiji through the strategy of foreignization. However, in places where the narrative form of the original text is likely to cause confusion to English language readers, they were flexible with organization in order to reduce the mental burden to readers. When there are no English equivalents for the Chinese terms used in the Shiji, they also adopted a strategy of domestication. Yang and Yang added explanatory content as appropriate to make their translation accessible in English.

Keywords:

• The Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji)
• Yang Hsien-yi
• foreignization
• domestication
• translation strategy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Li Xiaoxia (李小霞), “Xingxiangxue shiyu xia de Shiji Ying yi yanjiu” (English translations of Historical Records from an image studies perspective), Huaihai gongxueyuan xuebao Renwen shehui kexue ban (Journal of Huaihai Institute of Technology Humanities and Social Science Edition) 11 (2016): 52–54.

2 Shi Ting (石婷), “Yizhe zhutixing shijiao xia Yang Dai fufu he Huazisheng Shiji fanyi bijiao: Yi ‘Shiji juan sishi Chen She shijia’ wei li” (A Comparison of the translation of Historical Records by Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang and Burton Watson from a translator’s subjective perspective: Using “The Family of Chen She from Historical Records juan 40” as a case study), Gaokao (Higher test magazine) 8 (2015): 101–102.

3 Li Xiuying (李秀英), “Huazisheng Ying yi Shiji de xushi jiegou tezheng” (Narrative structure in Burton Watson’s English translation of the Shiji), Waiyu yu waiyu jiaoxue (Foreign languages and foreign language education) 9 (2006): 52–55.

4 Andrew H. Plaks, Zhongguo xushixue (Chinese Narrative Studies) (Beijing: Beijing daxue chubanshe, 1995), 59.

5 Gao Fengping, “Cong chuanbo dao chuanzhen de boyi yu duijie: Shiji waiwen yiben shuping” (The game and connection from promotion to conveying facts: Commentary on foreign language translations of the Shiji), Weinan shifan xueyuan xuebao (Journal of Weinan Normal University) 18 (2016): 58–66.

6 Ibid.

7 Zhang Bin (張斌), “Yang Xianyi, Dai Naidie Ying yi ben Shiji: ‘Li jiangjun liezhuan’ fanyi jiqiao chutan” (Preliminary study of translation techniques in Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang’s English translation of the “Biography of General Li” from the Shiji), Yingyu jiaoshi (English teacher) 7 (2016): 133–135.

8 Sima Qian, Shiji (Historical Records) (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 2013), 3447.

9 Zhang Bin, “Yang Xianyi, Dai Naidie Ying yi ben Shiji: ‘Li jiangjun liezhuan’ fanyi jiqiao chutan,” Yingyu jiaoshi, 133–135.

10 Sima Qian, Shiji (The records of the grand historian), ed. Han Zhaoqi (韓兆琦) (Changsha: Yuelu shushe, 2004), 3452.

11 Sima Qian, Selections from Records of the Historian, trans. Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang (Beijing: Waiwen chubanshe, 2001), 417.

12 Ibid., 124.

13 Ibid, 104.

14 Ibid, 958.

15 Ibid, 189.

16 Ibid, 457.

17 Ibid, 282.

18 Ibid, 172.

19 Ibid, 236.

20 Ibid, 328.

21 Ibid, 124.

22 Ibid, 186.

23 Sima Qian, Shiji, ed. Han Zhaoqi, 1476.

24 Sima Qian, Selections from Records of the Historian, trans. Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang, 150.

25 Chen Yingu (陳胤谷) and Ji Guangli (姬廣禮), “Renzhi shijiao xia Jinghua yanyun de xianhua celüe fenxi” (Analysis of strategies in Moment in Peking from an epistemological perspective), Yuwen xuekan (Journal of language arts) 8 (2010): 77–79.

26 Sima Qian, Selections from Records of the Historian, trans. Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang, 495.

27 Ibid, 70.

28 Ibid, 189.

29 Wang Zhengyuan (王正元), Gainian zhenghe lilun ji qi yingyong yanjiu (Theoretical concepts and their uses) (Beijing: Gaodeng jiaoyu chubanshe, 2009), 158.

30 Basil Hatim and Ian Mason, Discourse and the Translator (Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001), 128.