Translation as participation: A reflection on the recent surge of English translation of Chinese classics in China

This paper is intended to examine the recent surge in translation of Chinese classics anew into English by Chinese translators and their professed purpose and discuss in a broader context the significance and flipside of this translation practice currently popular among Chinese translators. The author argues that when this translation surge in China promises to deliver a more authentic version of Chinese culture to the world, the act of translation has become more than a site for textual negotiations between literal and free translation, fidelity and creativeness. Among other things, it provides a good opportunity for Chinese translators to reinterpret Chinese culture from the subject position of the other, and participate in the ongoing construction of a global culture.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]