2022 Summer Seminar

Xuan Zang’s “Five Untranslatables”: A Modern Reassessment

Dr. Chris Wen-Chao Li

Among the best known medieval commentaries on translation between Sanskrit and Chinese is the 7th century Buddhist pilgrim Xuan Zang’s notion of “five untranslatables” (五種不翻), namely, that phonological translation is preferred in language situations involving (1) mystique (祕宻故), (2) polysemy (含多義故), (3) realia (此無故), (4) established convention (順古故), and (5) added value (生善故).

In this talk we explore the “five untranslatables” from the perspective of contemporary linguistics and translation theory, applying models that best fit each of Xuan Zang’s labels while evaluating his proposed methods. We demonstrate that the “untranslatable” of “mystique” (祕宻故) is best explained via the pragmatic notion of speech acts and the semantic properties of non-arbitrary signs. The “untranslatable” of “polysemy” (含多義故) is then shown to have multiple manifestations stemming from not just polysemy but also divergent categorization schemas, each of which requires a different treatment. We show that, in the present age, a multitude of translation strategies can be applied to the problem of realia and culture-specific concepts (此無故), and that respect for established convention (順古故) is alive and well in current practice. We then decipher the meaning of “added value” (生善故) and explain that the notion is one of “exotic appeal”—a byproduct of foreignization in situations where the source language enjoys greater prestige than the target language.

Viewing Translation Through A Bodhisattva’s Skillful Speech by Reverend Heng Sure (Recording is unavailable)

Translation as a Spiritual Practice

Reverend Heng Sure

Can the act of translating Buddhist texts itself but a profound catalyst for spiritual growth and transformation?