earticle

영어

This article explores the translation motivation of Liang Qichao(1873-1929) in the process of modernizing China. Liang was a highly famed enlightenment thinker, politician and translator who had tried to introduce modern civilization in the late Qing dynasty. He translated the Japanese political novel 『Encounter with the Beauties(佳人之奇遇)』 and the French adventure novel 『Two years’ Vacation(Deux ans de vacances)』 in early several years of his exile life in Japan(1898-1903). Liang’s translation was designed to enlighten Chinese people so as to serve the political and social reform. He thought that as a nation-state, China had to establish a independent country with the equality of nation’s sovereignty, and as a nation, the Chinese people needed to have the public morale. Liang included the progressive spirit and the Self- governing spirit among the public morals. He intended to inspire the thought of independent nation-state and the progressive spirit and Self-governing spirit into the hearts of Chinese people by translating the two novels. The main idea of his introductory and explanatory notes in his translation is strikingly similar to that his other famous articles. This case study indicates that translation was regarded as a social tool to modernize China and enlighten the people at the time.