Treason and Defect in Arthur Waley’s English Translation of Nineteen Ancient Poems

摘要

There must be some kind of“Deviation”between the translated text and the original one,which is called creative treason.This kind of deviation is most prominent in poetry translation.Arthur Welly is a famous British Sinologist in the 20th century,and A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems is his masterpiece.The English translation of Nineteen Ancient Poems is taken as an example to analyze the treason and defect in the translation.The discussion can be divided into three parts through specific induction:the lack of angle,the loss of image and the misreading of reduplicated words.Behind these superficial rebellions and defects,the hidden essence is the difference brought about by different cultures.