Chinese Boxing Classics in Translation: Problems and Perils
By Brian Kennedy
Copyright © EJMAS 2002. All rights reserved
"Translation is like a woman: if she is faithful, she is not beautiful; if she is beautiful, she is not faithful." -- Russian proverb
That Russian proverb encapsulates the core problem facing any translator. When attempting to translate Chinese boxing classics or training manuals (quan pu) (see my "Introductory History of Xing Yi Training Manuals," http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_kennedy_1001.htm) from their original Chinese into English, that core problem is exacerbated by a number of other factors. Those factors are the topic of this article. Even if one never intends to do any translations, these factors are worth understanding. That way, as one reads English language translations of Chinese boxing classics or training manuals, one has a better understanding of why the translation may seem odd or disjointed, or was not quite what the reader had hoped for.
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