A Peritextual Study on the English Translations of Zhen La Feng Tu Ji

Abstract

It is rather difficult to translate The Maritime Silk Road classic Zhen La Feng Tu Ji because of its rich cultural connotations. This paper analyzes the specific peritexts of the English translations of this classic, including the preface, annotations, and other forms of peritexts. The results show that the peritexts such as preface and annotations can help construct a rich interpretation field, reveal the translator’s translation motivation, and effectively improve the accuracy and acceptability of the translated text. Furthermore, the length of the peritexts reflects the translator’s need to interpret the original text and further shows differences between translations. It is hoped that this study can shed light on translation research and practice of the Maritime Silk Road classics and provide a new direction for the study of paratexts in the future.