On the Art of Translating Apologetics: Translating the Argumentative Rhetoric of G. K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy into Chinese

On the Art of Translating Apologetics: Translating the Argumentative Rhetoric of GK Chesterton's Orthodoxy into Chinese

CHONG Yau Yuk

Orthodoxy represents the complex record of a remarkable intellectual odyssey of one of the most brilliant minds of the twentieth century. Considered a theological treatise that is at once politically trenchant and prophetic, religiously substantial, and often outrageously funny, it has never been out of print since it was first published in 1908. Propounding the Christian faith with surprising arguments and dazzling illustrations, Orthodoxy emerges as a masterpiece of rhetoric, and a modern classic of Christian apologetics. This paper aims to discuss the art of translating Orthodoxy on the premises that firstly, the aesthetic features of a translation is closely connected with its original, and secondly, the artistic qualities of a translation have to be realized through the translator, and thirdly, the aesthetic value of a work of art is conditioned by the literary norms of the recipient culture. By taking one's own translation as an example, the writer of this paper explores the art of translating into Chinese the argumentative rhetoric of Orthodoxy with reference to the image of GK Chesterton as an eloquent apologist, an apostle of common sense, a prince of paradox, and a prophet of mirth.