This article introduces the famous American sinologist Xue Aihua in the 20th century, his authoritative position in the fields of Tang Dynasty cultural history, literature, and Taoist education, as well as his emphasis on the translation of ancient Chinese books into English. Xue Aihua's translation theory has been praised in the Western sinology community, and his translation practice is regarded as part of his academic achievements. The article will explore Xue Aihua's translation ideas and their position in the history of Western Sinology, particularly how he drew inspiration from the European classical Sinology schools and influenced later scholars.

Chinese Language Learning and Chinese Language Learning Style Translation

Xue Aihua's translation philosophy is deeply influenced by the linguistic and literary traditions, and its development is closely linked to the study of Sinology. Chinese language studies is a discipline that integrates comparative linguistics, historical linguistics, and other methods to study language and texts. Its research paradigm has given birth to classical and Eastern disciplines. The study of Sinology in the 19th century was dominated by language and literature, and early sinologists such as Shawan, Boxi, and others adopted the path of philology to study China. The study of Chinese language focuses on translation, emphasizing faithful translation and meticulous annotation of classical literature to promote thematic research. This translation mode is called "Chinese language learning translation", which is characterized by a tendency towards the author, the original work, and the source language, striving to restore the meaning and language characteristics of the original text as much as possible. Contemporary scholar Han Dawei believes that the primary task of Chinese language scholars is to be faithful to the semantics and stylistic rhetoric of the text, rather than considering the needs of the readers. However, strict Chinese style translation may affect readers' understanding and reading experience. In history, the translated works of British sinologist James Leggett and American sinologist Bernard Shaw appeared "old-fashioned" or "strange" due to being too faithful to the original text. Xue Aihua's translation practice provides us with a case study to explore the value of Chinese academic translation.

A Comprehensive Review of Xue Aihua's Translation Thoughts

Xue Aihua's translation philosophy was deeply influenced by his passion for theoretical issues in Sinology and Chinese language studies. He positioned the main purpose of translation as restoring the original style of Chinese words and phrases and presenting the historical and cultural information behind them. He considers himself a scholar of Chinese language, guided by the principles of language and literature in his research activities, and believes that Chinese language studies focus on language and literature as a way to understand ancient civilization. Xue Aihua emphasized that translation work should focus on the restoration of the original text and the historical and cultural information behind it. His goal is to share the perspectives and emotions of Tang Dynasty people and present their feelings. His translation ideas were clearly influenced by his mentor Bu Bide, emphasizing the "accuracy of Chinese language studies" and striving to accurately convey the original semantics of the translation without losing the social information and cultural connotations of a specific era.

Three evaluations of Xue Aihua's translation ideas

Xue Aihua's translation philosophy centers on literal translation, emphasizing faithful presentation of the original content and language form, which has obvious advantages. At the theoretical level, he constructed a systematic translation theory, criticizing the reader oriented translation tendency and exploring the academic goals and specific processes of translation. His literal translation strategy demonstrates strong academic function, and his translations are often regarded as independent research results, providing reliable translations for readers who do not understand Chinese and contributing to the cause of Chinese English translation. Xue Aihua's translation method reflects respect for Chinese culture and is in line with the scholarly atmosphere of Western Sinology who studies Chinese culture through the path of language and literature, demonstrating typicality. Despite some shortcomings, such as the bookish and Latinized tendency of some translated words, and the unnatural or ambiguous meaning of some poetic translations, his translation ideas still have strong cognitive value. Xue Aihua's translation ideas provide us with a starting point for observing the trend of Chinese language style translation in the Western sinology community, and have reference and enlightening significance for the theory and practice of translating classics into foreign languages. His translation practice and theory have reference value for the current construction of Chinese foreign translation theory and translation practice.