2023 Summer Seminar
Intratextual and Extratextual Considerations in the Translation Commentaries of
Xuan Zang (602-664) and Zan Ning (919-1001)
佛經漢譯的文內與文外自主性對比：論玄奘「五種不翻」與贊寧「新意六例」
Dr. Chris Wen-Chao Li
In this talk we contrast the “five untranslatables” (五種不翻) of Xuan Zang 玄奘 with the “six innovations” (新意六例) of Zan Ning 贊寧 and show that whereas Xuan Zang comments squarely on intratextual factors in the conversion of Buddhist scripture from Sanskrit to medieval Chinese, Zan Ning, upon recounting and synthesizing the insights of past translation masters, takes his analysis a step further by addressing not only key intratextual issues such as translation strategy and language register, but also extratextual considerations such as the lineage of the source text and the linguistic agency of the translator.
As we explore the views of Xuan Zang and Zan Ning, we liken the medieval paradigm shift to developments in contemporary translation theory before and after skopostheorie and the “cultural turn”, showing that the thinking of these two historical figures was well ahead of their time. We draw analogies also between challenges faced by medieval Buddhist translators working from Sanskrit into Chinese and modern Buddhist translators translating from literary Chinese into English, showing how modern practitioners of the art can learn from the lessons of the past.
Bhikshuni Heng Chih introduced Venerable Master Husan Hua’s commentary on The Prologue to the Commentary and Subcommentary on the Avatamsaka Sutra. Dharma Master Chih explained in Chinese and English that “the preliminary explanation of the Sutra’s meaning is based on the general analysis into Ten Doors.”