Study of the Compensation for Cultural Filtration in the Translation of Yu Xuanji's Poems

Yu Xuanji's Poems were translated into the Anglophone World by Jeanne Larsen, Kenneth Rexroth and Ling Chung, Kang-i Sun Chang and Haun Saussy, Justin Hill and Genevieve Wimsatt. This essay mainly focuses on cultural filtration and compensation strategies in these translated versions. Inadequate understanding is the main cause for cultural filtration. This essay analyzes inadequate understanding for Chinese literary tradition, Chinese culture, Chinese language and Chinese ancient society. Translation of literal meaning with notes, translation of implicated meaning with notes, juxtaposition of implicated meaning and literal meaning and paraphrase embedded in text were adopted by these translators to compensate the cultural filtration. The research on the cultural filtration and compensation strategies in these translated versions helps translators to recognize that knowing Chinese culture and Anglophone culture adequately and taking appropriate compensation ways are crucial for the translation of Yu Xuanji's poems.