关键词: 许国璋; 阐译; 释译; 文化传播

Abstract: This study aims to reassess the theoretical and practical value of XU Guozhang’s view on translation and observes his translation characterized by the use of two strategies: chanyi(explanative translation) and shiyi(restructuring in translation). It finds that XU’s theory on translation centers around chanyi and shiyi. While the former lays stress on explicitation by using more words or expressions to make explicit what is implicit in the source text, the latter aims at decomposing the source text into semantic units and restructuring what is decomposed by following the norm of the target text. So, compared with chanyi, shiyi gives translators more freedom to make use of the expressive potentials of the source language. The study also finds that XU’s view on translation and his unrivalled use of translation techniques tally well with his linguistic outlook. According to XU, language, as a tool of communication and a carrier of culture, has much message shared by its users in the language community, which leads to the existence of default meaning or default interpretation, and to the gap in cross-cultural or cross-linguistic communication. To bridge the gap, XUputs forward the strategies of chanyi and shiyi, and puts his notions into practice that proves to be effective and meaningful. This paper also finds XU’s views on translation is theoretically close to the contemporary translation theories, and it has significant implications on the efforts being made in the communication of Chinese culture with the world.

Keywords: XU Guozhang; chanyi (explanative translation); shiyi (restructuring in translation); cultural communication