Comparative textual analysis reveals distinct role orientations in English translations of Zizhi Tongjian, highlighting how scholarly habitus shapes cross-cultural knowledge circulation.
Key Points
To investigate how translator role orientations shape linguistic choices and communicative outcomes in representative English translations of Zizhi Tongjian using Translator Behavior Criticism.
Conducted a comparative textual analysis of English translations of Zizhi Tongjian by Achilles Fang and Rafe de Crespigny.
Applied the Translator Behavior Criticism (TBC) framework to assess translator habitus, role-shifting dynamics, and behavioral spectrums.
Fang prioritized a truth-seeking orientation driven by scholarly habitus, producing a translation defined by an academic tone.
De Crespigny adopted a utility-attaining stance aligned with his identity as a historian, yielding greater readability and accessibility.
Truth-seeking and utility-attaining functioned as complementary degrees along a behavioral continuum rather than rigid dichotomies.