A study on the English translation of the drama excerpt from Instructions for Practical Learning in China in the Classics
《典籍里的中国》之《传习录》戏剧片段英译研究

摘要

《典籍里的中国》是中央电视总台重点文化类创新节目，聚焦中华优秀文化典籍，从中甄选最值得讲述的优秀传统文化作品，讲述典籍的成书、核心思想以及流转中的闪亮故事。目前《典籍里的中国》尚未有英文字幕，本研究将聚焦其片段中文字幕的英译，笔者选取第一季第十一集《传习录》片段“王阳明龙场悟道”经典片段为研究对象。本研究从中西方思维差异的视角，通过与人工智能生成翻译的译本进行对比，研究发现，人工智能译本中“西式思维”倾向明显，传播中华文化典籍，语言是传播载体，更重要的是充分理解典籍中蕴含的哲理，以精准传递文化内核。戏剧文本的翻译需兼顾学术准确性与舞台传播性，通过直译与意译结合、文化补偿、句式重构等策略，可实现儒家核心思想的有效跨文化转译。本研究可为典籍改编类戏剧的翻译实践提供参考，助力中华优秀传统文化的国际传播。

Abstract

“China in the Classics” is a key cultural innovation program produced by China Central Television (CCTV). It focuses on outstanding ancient Chinese cultural classics, selecting the most worthy traditional cultural works to narrate their formation, core ideas, and the illuminating stories surrounding their transmission. Currently, “China in the Classics” has no English subtitles. This study focuses on the Chinese-to-English subtitle translation of selected excerpts. The author chooses the classic segment “Wang Yangming’s Enlightenment at Longchang” from the eleventh episode of Season One, which is based on the Instructions for Practical Learning (Chuanxi Lu). From the perspective of Sino-Western differences in thinking patterns, and through a comparison with translations generated by artificial intelligence, this study finds that the AI-generated translations exhibit a pronounced tendency toward “Western-style thinking.” In disseminating Chinese cultural classics, language serves as the vehicle, but what is more important is a thorough understanding of the philosophical ideas embedded in the classics in order to accurately convey their cultural core. The translation of dramatic texts must balance academic precision with stage communicability. Through strategies such as combining literal and free translation, cultural compensation, and syntactic restructuring, effective cross-cultural transference of core Confucian ideas can be achieved. This study can serve as a reference for the translation practice of classics-adapted dramas and contribute to the international dissemination of fine traditional Chinese culture.