Translating into/out of one’s mother tongue

Abstract

This paper is a critical response to the assertion that translation of Chinese classics into English can only be done by translators who are native speakers of English rather than Chinese, as maintained by scholars such as A. C. Graham. It analyses the three main reasons given to support that assertion, namely, (1) translation in generally done into, not out of, one’s mother tongue; (2) the translator may enlist some help from native Chinese critics in understanding Chinese language and culture, but not in expressing the idea; (3) some translations by non-native translators were rendered in an unbearable kind of “Chinese English”. The above reasons are critiqued with reference to the development of international politics and the global economy, as well as translation studies. In the end, the paper points out the need for more native Chinese translators to undertake the translation of Chinese classics into English.