Analysis of the translator’s style based on the translation of The Analects from Chinese into Spanish

Abstract

This study examines and contrasts two complete translations of The Analects, a Chinese philosophical book translated into Spanish. One version is by Chang Shiru, a Chinese scholar, while the other is by Joaquín Pérez Arroyo, a Spanish translator. A comparative analysis using various lexical, sentence, and discursive parameters based on a self-constructed corpus has been conducted. Furthermore, for the sake of a detailed analysis, the pronoun “yo”, the keyword “superior”, and the particle “que” have been chosen as a case study. Based on the findings, Chang demonstrates a more broad lexicon and employs less complicated sentence structures than Pérez Arroyo. On the other hand, Pérez Arroyo employs a less diverse vocabulary and constructs more sophisticated sentences. Furthermore, Pérez Arroyo tends to provide more explicit translations. Nevertheless, the preference of translators towards explicitness and simplification strategies varies depending on the intended readership. Various factors, including language and cultural differences between Chinese and Spanish, translators’ individual habits, the intended aim of the translation, and the translator's personal background, could impact the construction of a translator’s unique style.

Keywords
The Analects ; translator’s style; corpus study; Spanish; Chinese