《孟子》在英语世界的读者评价研究

An Analysis ofReader Reviews of Mencius in the English-speaking World

孟子哲学思辨的复杂性导致学界对《孟子》英译本的海外接受情况持悲观态度。为了解《孟子》英译本在英语世界的接受情况,基于Goodreads和Amazon的《孟子》英译本读者评价建立语料库,借助AntConc进行数据分析和整理。研究结果颠覆了以往的消极预判:《孟子》英译本受到英语世界读者的关注和讨论,总体评价向好,众多读者对孟子哲学义理聚讼不已,引起了读者们对中西哲学思想的共鸣;英语世界读者可对个别译本进行深度探讨,具有较强的批判精神;但国内译本相较于国外译本海外流通量小,并未真正走进英语世界普通读者的视线。未来应重视读者群体调研,探索符合《孟子》的译介之道,真正实现中国智慧“走出去”“走进去”。

The complexity of Mencius’philosophical thoughts has caused a pessimistic view regarding the reception of English translations of Mencius overseas.To gain insights into the reception of these translations in the English-speaking world,a corpus of reader reviews for English versions of Mencius was compiled based on Goodreads and Amazon.Data analysis was made through AntConc.The research findings have defied previous negative assumptions,and reveal that English versions of Mencius have attracted attention and sparked discussions among readers in English-speaking world,resulting in an overall positive evaluation.The debates surrounding the philosophical ideas of Mencius have sparked extensive discussions among readers,leading to a resonance with both Eastern and Western philosophical thoughts.These readers are capable of engaging profound discussions on specific translations,showing their strong critical mindset.However,in comparison to translations by foreign translators,those rendered by Chinese translators have had limited overseas circulation and have yet to capture the attention of ordinary readers abroad.Consequently,future efforts should prioritize reader surveys and explore effective translation and introduction methods that faithfully convey the essence of Mencius,thereby truly promoting Chinese wisdom worldwide.