Going Ambiguous for Readers Empowerment

An Exploration of the LiteralTranslation by Lu Zhen Zhong in First John o

f the New Testament

Chun Li

History of Chinese Bible Translation

• The time it was done– Tang Dynastic (618-918)– Robert Morrison (1782-1834) & Joshua Marsh

man (1768-1837) – Chinese Union Version (1919)– Lu Zhen Zhong Version (1946-1970)

History of Chinese Bible Translation

• The way it has been done– By Missionaries who does not know Chinese

with Chinese Helpers– By Chinese and Foreign Biblical Scholars– By Chinese Biblical Scholars and Chinese

editors

Chinese Bible Translation Theories

• Chinese Translation Theories: Development in the 20-Century

• Chinese Bible Translation Theories?

Current Studies

• Investigating what is meant by a Chinese literal Bible translation

• Lu Zhen Zhong Translation– Knowledge of Source Text and Target Text– Verbalized Translation Principles– Consistency– Comparison with Chinese Union Version

Translating ST words with TT words of larger semantic domains (1)

–desire, longing or craving• CUV: qing2yu4 –desires for opposite sex

• LZZ: si1yu4 – personal desires

• 1 John 2:16 16 For all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions- is not from the Father but is from the world.

Translating ST words with TT words of larger semantic domains (2)

– arrogant words and deeds

• CUV: jiao1ao4 – arrogant attitude

• LZZ: jin1kua1 – arrogant words and deeds

• 1 John 2:16 16 For all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions- is not from the Father but is from the world.

Translating theological-loaded terms with more interpretive possibilities (1)

• CUV: zhong1bao3 –guarantor for lending t

ransaction

• LZZ: dai4ti4shen1qiu1zhe3

• John 2:1b But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

• dai4ti4 shen1 qiu1 zhe3

• substitute explain request person

• The one explains and requests for others

•

Translating theological-loaded terms with more interpretive possibilities (2)

• CUV: xiang4jiao1 –to make friends with e

ach other

• LZZ: tuan2qi4

Translating theological-loaded terms with more interpretive possibilities (3)

• CUV: e4zhe –the fierce one

• LZZ: xie2e4zhe –the evil and fierce one

Translating Conjunctions with Ambiguity

• CUV: he2 (and); que1 (but)

• LZZ: er (can be and/ but)

Providing reference possibilities for pronouns

• 1 John 2:10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

• CUV– in Lord

• LZZ – in him/ in it

Translating verbs with temporal and aspectual information

1 John 2:8

• LZZ yi3 for ; zhe for

Using inclusive language

• 1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

• CUV: Beloved brothers

• LZZ: Beloved

Summary of findings

• Providing more possibilities in the target texts

• Allowing more flexible interpretation

• Empowerment of the readers in interpretation

Further Studies

• Short-term goal: Investigating the characteristics of Chinese literal translation of the Bible through LZZ

• Long-term goal: Establishing a theoretical framework for the study of Chinese Bible Translation