The translator as an activist: the case of Yan Fu as a pioneer activist translator in the late Qing

Abstract

ABSTRACT The theoretical lens of translation as activism underscores the ways translation has been used to make social change happen. Despite the growing interest in activist translation, few studies have been carried out on translation and activism in the context of China. This study examines the translator as an activist through a case study on Yan Fu (1854–1921), a pioneer activist translator in the late Qing. It investigates Yan Fu’s activist agendas manifested in the prefaces to his translations. It is found that Yan’s activist agendas in translation include saving the nation, opposing autocratic monarchy and strengthening the country, which are closely related to the historical context of the late Qing. Furthermore, this study discusses the interactive and cyclical relationship between translation and activism through the case of Yan Fu, which goes a step further than the one-way conceptualisation of translation as a tool of activism. As the activist side of Yan Fu’s translation has not received much attention previously, this study offers new insights into Yan’s translation practice from the activist perspective.