Abstract

  The Essays, written by the philosopher, statesman and jurist Francis Bacon, are written in a wide range of styles, from the plain and unadorned to the epigrammatic. They cover topics chosen from both public and private life from various angles. “Of studies” is one of the most popular ones that impress people with its concision and aphorism, in which Bacon elaborated the value of reading, writing and learning through masses of parallel structures. This paper aims to compare the methods the two translators, Wang Zuoliang and Cao Minglun adopt to deal with the words in translating “Of Studies” by Francis Bacon from four aspects: verbs; nouns; adjectives and adverbs; culture-loaded words. And try to analyze the differences from the perspective of translators’ views on translation for a further understanding of how the theories the translators hold influence their way of translating and give readers a new train of thought to not only compare, but try to clarify the reasons as I believe that knowing more about the translators will help to get us more understanding their works. In addition, it can help readers learn to analyze their own translation work thoroughly and discover their weaknesses so as to improve their translating skills. 

Keywords: “Of Studies”; views on translation; Wang Zuoliang; Cao Minglun

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-2

2.1 Review of Research on the Two Versions of "Of Studies”-2

2.1.1 Wang Zuoliang’s Version-2

2.1.2 Cao Minglun’s Version-2

2.2 Review of Translators’ Views on Translation-3

2.2.1 Wang Zuoliang’s Views on Translation-3

2.2.2 Cao Minglun’s Views on Translation-4

3. Comparisons of the Translations of Words-5

3.1 Verbs-5

3.2 Nouns-5

3.3 Adjectives and Adverbs-6

3.4 Culture-loaded Word-6

4. Conclusion-7

References-8