Cultural factors in the English translation of (the terminology of) Chinese calligraphy

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the cultural factors affecting the English translation of (the terminology of) Chinese calligraphy from a historical, societal and ethical perspective. The paper begins with a brief introduction to Chinese calligraphy, discusses the problems arising from the translation of its terminology, and the need to consider cultural factors when it is translated into English. These factors, which can be historical, social and ethical, are associated with calligraphic scripts, writing skills, writing tools and calligraphic works: if the translation does not consider these factors, the English version might cause misunderstandings or fail to communicate the connotations of the originals. Finally, the article makes some suggestions to improve the translation of Chinese calligraphy and particularly of its terminology.