Abstract:

Terms focusing on the transferring of science information in T’ien-kung k’ai-wu represent Chinese scientific achievements. This paper screens out 85 informative technical terms. And according to the numerical description and qualitative analysis of the corresponding translation strategies in three English versions of T’ien-kung k’ai-wu, Li Ch’iao-ping’s version prefers to foreignize, Wang Yijing et al.’s version is inclined to domesticate, E-tu Zen Sun and Shiou-chuan Sun’s version is in-between. The underlying reason mainly lies in the orientation of different target readerships. We suggest that further translation criticism for Chinese old technical terms should combine objective descriptions with contextual explanations.

Key words: T’ien-kung k’ai-wu;, English versions, informative technical terms, translation strategy