The transformation of translatorial identity and the shift of translation style: a comparison of the three versions of the she king translated by James Legge

Abstract

James Legge translated the Chinese literary masterpiece The she king three times. In 1871 Legge translated it into a prosaic English version, and in 1876 he rendered it into a metrical one. In 1879 Legge translated its religious portion into a prosaic version again. This article aims to make a stylistic comparison of the three versions and explore the reasons underlying the style shift in Legge’s three translations of The she king. The findings show that the translation style for the same work by the same translator changed in a relatively short period of time. In our view Legge’s identities as a missionary and a sinologue influenced the translation styles of the three translations of The she king. Hence, it is suggested that the translatorial identity is not a stable construct. In fact, it can be affected, as Legge’s example shows, by the changes in the translator’s identity.