A Corpus-based Comparative Study of Translation Style of Five English Versions of Xiao Yaoyou

Abstract

This study utilizes a corpus-based approach to investigate the translation style of five English versions of Xiao Yaoyou, the first chapter of Zhuangzi, at three levels: lexical, syntactic, and philosophical and cultural lexis. By comparing and analyzing the corpus data, the paper examines different linguistic traits among five versions. It shows that versions translated by earlier translators tend to be more complex and more formal with a higher standardized TTR, a higher degree of mean word length and average sentence length. In contrast, recent translators have chosen rather simpler and concise vocabularies, which makes their version exhibit a higher degree of readability in rendering the original text. The analyses of philosophical and cultural terms shed light on the academic experience and cultural considerations that account for the similarities and differences between these versions.