Series | Translating Wor(l)ds
Edited book | May Fourth and Translation
Chapter | A Space for Their Voices: (Un)apologies for Translation in the May Fourth Journal New Tide
A Space for Their Voices: (Un)apologies for Translation in the May Fourth Journal New Tide
Abstract
The study argues that translation in the frame space of the student journal New Tide (新潮 1919-22), was a mode of writing that legitimated the new-versus-old polarity in the May Fourth discourse. The analysis focuses on two sets of translation marginalia. One set presents the translators’ habitual apologies for the imperfection of their works. In contrast, the other set of materials shows unapologetic appropriations of foreign sources, which reveal the use of translation for the dual purposes of criticising the students’ concurrent traditional-minded Chinese intellectuals, and of validating – hence canonizing – the tenets of May Fourth.
Submitted: May 21, 2020 | Accepted: Sept. 7, 2020 | Published Dec. 21, 2020 | Language: en
Keywords New Tide • Marginalia • Frame space • May Fourth • Translation
Copyright © 2020 Michelle Jia Ye. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-465-3/004
