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A Study on the Cultural Defaults and Translation Compensation Strategies in English Translation of TCM Classics—A Case Study of Lixu Yuanjian

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DOI: 10.23977/langl.2025.080116 | Downloads: 11 | Views: 289

Author(s)

Cheng Xin 1, Ke Yulian 1

Affiliation(s)

1 School of Foreign Languages, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, 430065, China

Corresponding Author

Cheng Xin

ABSTRACT

In the external dissemination of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) culture, the English translation of TCM serves as an important medium, and the quality of English translation of TCM directly affects the effectiveness of the dissemination of TCM culture. However, due to the differences between Chinese and English languages and cultures, the phenomenon of cultural default often occurs in the English translation of TCM, which prevents target language readers from fully understanding the cultural connotations of the source language. Therefore, exploring how to make up for cultural defaults through translation compensation strategies has become an important topic in TCM translation. Taking the English translation of the medical work Lixu Yuanjian in the Ming Dynasty as an example, this paper explores how to make up for the cultural defaults in the English translation of TCM through different translation strategies, aiming to facilitate the cross-cultural communication of TCM classics.

KEYWORDS

TCM translation; Cultural Defaults; Translation Compensation Strategies; Lixu Yuanjian

CITE THIS PAPER

Cheng Xin, Ke Yulian, A Study on the Cultural Defaults and Translation Compensation Strategies in English Translation of TCM Classics—A Case Study of Lixu Yuanjian. Lecture Notes on Language and Literature (2025) Vol. 8: 114-119. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/langl.2025.080116.

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