English Translation of the Concepts Related to the “Chinese Nation” and the Evolution of Its Connotations since Modern Times
- Available Online: 2022-02-20
Abstract: The English translation of the concepts related to the “Chinese nation” has undergone a long process of evolution since modern times. Consistently with the term’s early connotations, Gu Hongming first used “Chinese nation” while predominantly referring to the Han people. In translating Sun Zhongshan’s works, Frank W. Price, and Li Peien made progress in dealing with the English translation of concepts related to the “Chinese nation.” Specifically, Frank W. Price differentiated between “nation” and “race” and Li Peien intentionally used “Han” to refer to the Han people, which laid the foundation for solving the problem of scope and multi-levelness in the English translation of concepts concerning the “Chinese nation.” The English translators of China’s Destiny distinguishes Hans from the Chinese, the former designating the Han people and the latter designating the Chinese people, thereby clarifying the meaning of the “Chinese nation” for the entire population of modern China and the multi-layered nature of modern Chinese identity. The translation of concepts is not a simple linguistic conversion, but a re-creation of the original text, during which different political forces will present different interpretations of the same issue, which is related to the different political ideas they advocate and follow. The Kuomintang has long advocated for the construction of a nation-state with the Chinese nation as the national race and has often adopted a negative attitude toward the nationality status of the various nationalities within its borders. Thus, the official translation of China’s Destiny will also uphold the principle of de-nationalizing the various nationalities within its borders. Contrastingly, the Communist Party of China aims to establish a unified, multi-national country. The English translation of the relevant concepts will, on one hand, emphasize that the Chinese nation represents all Chinese people. On the other hand, it will emphasize that all nationalities have a nationality status, while indicating the difference between the two “minzus.”