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Instantiation and individuation in Buddhist scripture translation
A cross-comparison of the Sanskrit ST and English and Chinese TTs of the Heart Sutra
- Source: Language, Context and Text, Volume 3, Issue 2, Oct 2021, p. 227 - 246
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- 04 Jul 2020
- 28 Apr 2021
- 15 Oct 2021
Abstract
Abstract
This paper analyses and compares the systemic functional features of the Sanskrit original text and the Chinese and English translations of the Buddhist scripture Heart Sutra, focusing on the ideational components that are manifest on the strata of discourse semantics and lexicogrammar. Results show that there are both expected equivalence and significant differences among the Sanskrit original text and the two translated texts. The accounts for the equivalence and differences are twofold (on two hierarchies): in terms of instantiation, the translators go along different re-instantiation routes in finding corresponding potentials between the source text and their respective target texts; in terms of individuation, the English and Chinese translators’ personal and social identity has an immediate influence on their respective reproductions of the text.