A Study of Cultural-Loaded Words Translation in The Classic of Tea from the Perspective of Translator Behavior Criticism

Abstract

As the earliest surviving monograph on tea, The Classic of Tea, namely the encyclopedia of tea, has been translated into Japanese, English, French, German and etc. It had a profound impact on the study of tea in China and even in the world. This book contains interdisciplinary knowledge, systemically listing various aspects of tea studies, and accordingly there are a series of cultural-loaded words. Cultural-loaded word is an eternal topic in the translation of Chinese classic, and how translators appropriately deal with cultural-loaded words has become one of the vital factors affecting the effect of readers’ reception and book promotion. Based on the truth-seeking-utility-attaining continuum mode of evaluation, this paper evaluates the translation of cultural-loaded words in The Classic of Tea from Library of Chinese Classic Series, and to explore the dynamic impact of the translator’s behavior on the transmission of cultural connotations across languages. It is found that the translators are more inclined to utility side to reduce the reading barriers that cultural-loaded words bring to the readers.