ABSTRACT
The trend of early western translation theory centred on the recurring debate as to whether translations should be literal (word-for-word) or free (sense-for-sense). This is famously discussed by St Jerome in his revision of the translation of the Bible into Latin. Early western theorists tended to be translators who presented a justification for their approach in a preface to the translation. They are often portrayed as paying little attention (or not having access) to what others before them had written. However, they reflected a faithfulness to the religious text, manifested in Early Modern literalism, or a Classical view of language based on clarity, logic and elegance that came to the fore with the advent of European Humanism. In late seventeenth-century England, Dryden’s proposed triad of metaphrase, paraphrase and imitation is said to mark the beginning of a more systematic and precise definition of translation. Later, the German philosopher, Schleiermacher’s respect for the foreign text was to have considerable influence over scholars in modern times. In recent decades, there has been increased interest in Chinese and other discourse on translation, centred on the early translation projects of the Buddhist sutras and on the position of Yán Fù in contemporary China.
