Abstract

Problems and suggestions for TCM translation from the perspective of international communication of TCM culture

Author(s): Jing Yu, Yawei Yu, Lu han

As an important part of Chinese culture, the role of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has become widely known. As the advantages of TCM emerge gradually, more and more international attention are paid to traditional Chinese medicine, which leads to growing demands for TCM translation. In this paper, three basic problems in TCM translation are analyzed first from the perspective of international communication. Firstly, there are cultural barriers in TCM translation, which can be explained from three aspects: the systems of traditional Chinese medicine are significantly different; traditional Chinese medicine is a combination of philosophy and medicine; most traditional Chinese medical classics are usually written in classical Chinese. Secondly, unified translation criteria are lacking in TCM translation. Lastly, the quality of translators can hardly meet the requirements. Then, effective solutions to solve these problems are explored. At First, referring to medical English expression, unified translation criteria should be established on the basis of saving the original appearance of traditional Chinese medicine as much as possible. Second, specialized translators should be trained. Third, overseas promotion of traditional Chinese medicine should be strengthened. The results show that excellent TCM translation needs professional translators, plentiful translation practice, unified translation criteria, further overseas promotion of TCM knowledge and more exchanges with foreign scholars, which has positive significance for international communication of traditional Chinese medicine.