Translation and Interpreting for Social Change in the Chinese Context

Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-981-9228-41-6
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 235 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

Reihe: New Frontiers in Translation Studies

This book offers Chinese perspectives on translation and interpreting as catalyst for social change, especially in the Chinese context. Translation and interpreting have long been recognized as powerful tools for social change, transcending linguistic and cultural barriers to foster understanding, promote social justice, and drive innovation. From the dissemination of religious texts that shaped spiritual and ethical norms to the translation of scientific and political treatises that catalyzed intellectual and social revolutions, translation has played a crucial role in the development of societies worldwide. This book aims to explore the multifaceted social functions and values of translation and interpreting particularly in the Chinese context, highlighting their roles in driving social change and fostering cultural exchange.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Li, Defeng

Guo, Yangsheng

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Sprachsoziologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Übersetzungswissenschaft, Translatologie, Dolmetschen
• Geisteswissenschaften Sprachwissenschaft Soziolinguistik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction.- Part 1 Premodern interfacing between China and the “West” via translation.- (1) The Farthest West Is but the Farthest East’: The Long Way of Oriental/Occidental Engagement  (David Geoffrey Smith).- (2) Pre-translational Sociology that Primes Social Change: How was the Translating of Buddhist Sutras Afforded in Han Dynasty China? (Doug Robinson and Xiaorui Sun).- (3) The wisdom of Yi and the prudence of No-Yi—Revisiting Dao An's “Three-No-Yi”  (Xinzhi Hou).- Part 2 The West in Translation in Late Qing China.- (4) Translation as a Catalyst for Political and Social Change: The Taiping Bible in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1847–1854)  (Binyu Yang and Lan Li).- (5) Modernization of Bodies and Nationalization of Minds: Translation and Reception of Western Textbooks in Women's Colleges in Late Qing China  (Limin Su).- (6) Biopower and the Feminization of Medicine: The Translation of Fuying xinshuo in Late Qing China  (Jing Li and Yangsheng Guo).- (7) The Evolution of Chongyi (Relay Interpreting) as a Social Construct in the Qing Dynasty  (Lixia Dai).- Part 3 Translating the West in the Contemporary Chinese Context.- (8) The role of interpretation and translation in international relations and diplomacy (Feng Chen).- (9) Same name, different nature—a historical account of faithfulness in the PRC institutional translation (Junfeng Zhang  Yingping Pang).- (10) From the Silicon Valley to the Silk Road: Chinese readers' participatory reception of Steve Jobs via his (hyper-)translated love letter  (Zhi Quan).- (11) Dissemination beyond China in English Translation of Mao Dun Literature Prize Winning Novels: A Digital Humanities Approach (Lu Shao).

Über Autor(innen)

Defeng Li is Distinguished Professor of Translation Studies and Director of the Centre for Studies of Translation, Interpreting and Cognition (CSTIC) at the University of Macau. Prior to his current appointment, he served as Chair of the Centre for Translation Studies and reader in Translation Studies at SOAS, University of London; Director of the MA in Translation and Associate Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Dean and Chair Professor at Shandong University; and (visiting) Chair Professor at Shanghai Jiaotong University. He is currently President of World Interpreter and Translator Training Association (WITTA). He has researched and published extensively in the field of cognitive translation studies, corpus-assisted translation studies, curriculum development in translator training, research methods in translation studies, professional translation (e.g., business, journalistic, and legal translation), as well as second language education.

Yangsheng Guo is professor and director of the Centre for the Study of Translation and Society at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China. He received his PhD from the University of Alberta, Canada, and has taught at universities in Canada, Japan, and China. Guo has been serving as editorial member of Perspectives: Studies in Translation Theory and Practice, and member of the Standing Review Board under the Humanities and Social Sciences Panel of the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong. He has published extensively in areas ranging from curriculum and pedagogy in English language and literature education to translation studies, including research articles ‘The Politics of Translation in a Global Era: A Chinese Perspective’ (The Translator, 2009), and ‘Translation as Vaccination’ (Translation Studies, 2017). He has won a number of prestigious honours and awards for his teaching and research.