In terms of cultural
background, China has undergone the development from its single traditional and feudal cultural model before the Opium War to the hybridized one between the Chinese and Western cultures after foreign invasions, and finally to the model where heterogeneous cultures coexist in modern times. Discussions are made in this paper on the
influence of China’s cultural background in modern times on the
selection of translating materials and
translation criteria. As far as materials for translation are concerned, they have been expanded from works of natural science to those of literature and social science. The criteria of translation, on the other hand, have developed from the triadic criterion of “
faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance” to the “preference of faithfulness over smoothness”, the “transmigration of souls” and “freedom with boundaries”. It is proved that cultural background can both promote and restrict the development of
Translation. Accordingly, the formulation of new
Criteria should “conform to the extant cultural background”.
More summaries about the The Influence of China’s Cultural Background in Modern Times on Translation