"Colonization," resistance, and the uses of postcolonial translation theory in twentieth-century China

Document Type

Book chapter

Source Publication

Changing the terms : translating in the postcolonial era

Publication Date

11-27-2000

First Page

53

Last Page

70

Publisher

University of Ottawa Press

Abstract

Discussions of postcolonial translations have come into vogue in recent years. Originally a term used extensively in literary theory, “postcoloniality” seems suddenly to have been given a prominent part to play in research on translation in Third World countries, particularly India. Undoubtedly, postcolonial theory should have some relevance to all countries that were colonized in one way or another. That being the case, much thought ought to be given to the relevance of postcolonial translation to China. To be sure, China has not been formally occupied by a foreign power in the past century, so she has not experienced a “colonial” period as did her Southeast Asian neighbours, India and most African countries. Indeed, extraterritorial rights over certain parts of the country (like Shanghai and the Yangtze River) were claimed at certain times by foreign powers: Hong Kong was ceded to Britain (though she entered her postcolonial period with the 1997 Chinese takeover); and Taiwan was colonized by the Dutch and by the Japanese (from the end of the nineteenth century to the end of World War II). However, for mainland China, where the majority of translations are still carried out and published, the term “postcoloniality” may not mean much. What use do we have for postcolonial theories of translation in the Chinese context?

Publisher Statement

Copyright © University of Ottawa Press, 2000

Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Additional Information

ISBN of the source publication: 9780776605241 Open Access fulltext available on uO Research of University of Ottawa.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Chan, T. H. L. (2000). "Colonization," resistance, and the uses of postcolonial translation theory in twentieth-century China. In Sherry Simon, & Paul St-Pierre (Eds.), Changing the terms: Translating in the postcolonial era (pp. 53-70). Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.

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