A Study on the Interpretation of Cultural Heterogeneity in Chinese Classics Translation — Taking the English Translation of <i>The Classic of Tea</i> as an Example

Li Huifang

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11

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A Study on the Interpretation of Cultural Heterogeneity in Chinese Classics Translation — Taking the English Translation of The Classic of Tea as an Example

Li Huifang^*

Published in International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 11, Issue 4)

Received: 11 September 2025 Accepted: 20 September 2025 Published: 27 October 2025

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Abstract

Translation is a cross-cultural interpretive activity that requires respect for the uniqueness of “the other” in the source language culture and reconciliation of its heterogeneity within the target language environment. Taking two English translations of The Classic of Tea as research subjects, this paper explores the interpretation of cultural heterogeneity in Chinese classics and the similarities and differences in their compensatory strategies from the perspective of translation motivations. The study shows that the two translations adopt sharply different interpretive strategies. Carpenter’s version, produced at the time of the Cold War for Western audiences who knew little about the East, tends to adopt domestication, smoothing away cultural friction so the text would be accepted more easily. Jiang’s, by contrast, appears under China’s cultural “going-out” initiative: here the translator speaks as a self-appointed cultural envoy, foregrounding foreignness through an alienating lens. What drives the swing from one pole to the other is a mix of imagined readers, ideological stance, and the quiet pressure of institutional patrons. This research also demonstrates the dynamic reconciliation mechanism between foreignization and domestication in the translation of Chinese classics, providing theoretical and practical references for enhancing the effectiveness of China’s tea culture dissemination abroad.

Published in	International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 11, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11
Page(s)	100-106
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

The Classic of Tea, Cultural Heterogeneity, Translation Motivation, Foreignization, Domestication

References

[1]	Zhang Weijuan. 2016. “A study of the ideological connotations of Chinese tea culture and its translation strategies: The English translation of The Classic of Tea as an example.” Fujian Tea (5): 358-359.
[2]	Liang Xiao. 2019. “On the translator’s subjectivity in The Classic of Tea from the perspective of hermeneutics.” Think Tank Era (50): 288-294.
[3]	Qin Zhengmin. 2017. “A study of culture-loaded tea terms in The Classic of Tea and Sequel to The Classic of Tea.” Xi’an Technological University.
[4]	Chai Wenqian & Long Minghui. 2017. “Translating classical tea texts from the perspective of variation translation theory: A comparative study of the Carpenter and Jiang Xin English versions of The Classic of Tea.” Overseas English (06): 78-79.
[5]	Zhang Meifang. 2011. “Paratextual elements in translation: A case study of news translation.”Chinese Translators Journal (02): 50-55.
[6]	Liu Xiaoping. 2019. “Reading the paratexts of the first English translation of The Classic of Tea.” Journal of Hainan Normal University (04): 117-122.
[7]	He Qiong. 2015. “Gains and losses in rendering the cultural connotations of The Classic of Tea: A case study of Francis Ross Carpenter’s English version.” Journal of Beijing Forestry University (Social Sciences Edition) (02): 62-67.
[8]	Jiang Xin, Liu Xiaoxue & Wang Bing. 2009. “An intertextual approach to translation barriers in classical tea literature.” Agricultural Archaeology (5): 291-296.
[9]	Jiang Xin & Jiang Yi. 2016. “Intertextual links and memetic inheritance in translating tea classics: The translations of Chuan Fu and The Classic of Tea.” Journal of Beihang University (Social Sciences Edition) 29(04): 88-92.
[10]	Kong Lingcui & Chen Yangfan. 2021. “Translation and introduction of Chinese agricultural classics: Review, problems and prospects.” Foreign Language and Literature (03): 107-113.
[11]	WANG Jing. 2025. “On the Translator’s Stance and the Selection of Translation Strategies in the Chinese Translation of Indian Classic Poetry”. International Comparative Literature 8(1): 162-182.
[12]	Liu Junping. 2004. “Transcending the Postmodern Other: The Tension and Vitality of Translation Studies”. Chinese Translators Journal (1): 12-17.
[13]	Venuti, L. 1995. The translator’s invisibility: A history of translation. London/New York: Routledge.
[14]	Yu Yinlei. 2024. “From information transfer to cultural interpretation: Chinese cultural communication strategies reflected in the translation of The Classic of Tea.” Technology Enhanced Foreign Language Education (2): 47-51.
[15]	Berman (France). 2021. Translated by Zhang Wen. The Test of a Foreign Land: Culture and Translation in the German Romantic Period. Beijing: Life, Reading and New Knowledge, Sanlian Bookstore.

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APA Style

Huifang, L. (2025). A Study on the Interpretation of Cultural Heterogeneity in Chinese Classics Translation — Taking the English Translation of The Classic of Tea as an Example. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 11(4), 100-106. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11

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ACS Style

Huifang, L. A Study on the Interpretation of Cultural Heterogeneity in Chinese Classics Translation — Taking the English Translation of The Classic of Tea as an Example. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2025, 11(4), 100-106. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11

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AMA Style

Huifang L. A Study on the Interpretation of Cultural Heterogeneity in Chinese Classics Translation — Taking the English Translation of The Classic of Tea as an Example. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2025;11(4):100-106. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11,
  author = {Li Huifang},
  title = {A Study on the Interpretation of Cultural Heterogeneity in Chinese Classics Translation — Taking the English Translation of The Classic of Tea as an Example
},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
  volume = {11},
  number = {4},
  pages = {100-106},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20251104.11},
  abstract = {Translation is a cross-cultural interpretive activity that requires respect for the uniqueness of “the other” in the source language culture and reconciliation of its heterogeneity within the target language environment. Taking two English translations of The Classic of Tea as research subjects, this paper explores the interpretation of cultural heterogeneity in Chinese classics and the similarities and differences in their compensatory strategies from the perspective of translation motivations. The study shows that the two translations adopt sharply different interpretive strategies. Carpenter’s version, produced at the time of the Cold War for Western audiences who knew little about the East, tends to adopt domestication, smoothing away cultural friction so the text would be accepted more easily. Jiang’s, by contrast, appears under China’s cultural “going-out” initiative: here the translator speaks as a self-appointed cultural envoy, foregrounding foreignness through an alienating lens. What drives the swing from one pole to the other is a mix of imagined readers, ideological stance, and the quiet pressure of institutional patrons. This research also demonstrates the dynamic reconciliation mechanism between foreignization and domestication in the translation of Chinese classics, providing theoretical and practical references for enhancing the effectiveness of China’s tea culture dissemination abroad.
},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Study on the Interpretation of Cultural Heterogeneity in Chinese Classics Translation — Taking the English Translation of The Classic of Tea as an Example

AU  - Li Huifang
Y1  - 2025/10/27
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11
T2  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JF  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JO  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
SP  - 100
EP  - 106
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-1271
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11
AB  - Translation is a cross-cultural interpretive activity that requires respect for the uniqueness of “the other” in the source language culture and reconciliation of its heterogeneity within the target language environment. Taking two English translations of The Classic of Tea as research subjects, this paper explores the interpretation of cultural heterogeneity in Chinese classics and the similarities and differences in their compensatory strategies from the perspective of translation motivations. The study shows that the two translations adopt sharply different interpretive strategies. Carpenter’s version, produced at the time of the Cold War for Western audiences who knew little about the East, tends to adopt domestication, smoothing away cultural friction so the text would be accepted more easily. Jiang’s, by contrast, appears under China’s cultural “going-out” initiative: here the translator speaks as a self-appointed cultural envoy, foregrounding foreignness through an alienating lens. What drives the swing from one pole to the other is a mix of imagined readers, ideological stance, and the quiet pressure of institutional patrons. This research also demonstrates the dynamic reconciliation mechanism between foreignization and domestication in the translation of Chinese classics, providing theoretical and practical references for enhancing the effectiveness of China’s tea culture dissemination abroad.

VL  - 11
IS  - 4
ER  -

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Author Information

Li Huifang

School of Humanities, Huzhou College, Huzhou, China

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7416-9373

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Huifang, L. (2025). A Study on the Interpretation of Cultural Heterogeneity in Chinese Classics Translation — Taking the English Translation of The Classic of Tea as an Example. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 11(4), 100-106. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11

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ACS Style

Huifang, L. A Study on the Interpretation of Cultural Heterogeneity in Chinese Classics Translation — Taking the English Translation of The Classic of Tea as an Example. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2025, 11(4), 100-106. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11

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AMA Style

Huifang L. A Study on the Interpretation of Cultural Heterogeneity in Chinese Classics Translation — Taking the English Translation of The Classic of Tea as an Example. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2025;11(4):100-106. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11,
  author = {Li Huifang},
  title = {A Study on the Interpretation of Cultural Heterogeneity in Chinese Classics Translation — Taking the English Translation of The Classic of Tea as an Example
},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
  volume = {11},
  number = {4},
  pages = {100-106},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20251104.11},
  abstract = {Translation is a cross-cultural interpretive activity that requires respect for the uniqueness of “the other” in the source language culture and reconciliation of its heterogeneity within the target language environment. Taking two English translations of The Classic of Tea as research subjects, this paper explores the interpretation of cultural heterogeneity in Chinese classics and the similarities and differences in their compensatory strategies from the perspective of translation motivations. The study shows that the two translations adopt sharply different interpretive strategies. Carpenter’s version, produced at the time of the Cold War for Western audiences who knew little about the East, tends to adopt domestication, smoothing away cultural friction so the text would be accepted more easily. Jiang’s, by contrast, appears under China’s cultural “going-out” initiative: here the translator speaks as a self-appointed cultural envoy, foregrounding foreignness through an alienating lens. What drives the swing from one pole to the other is a mix of imagined readers, ideological stance, and the quiet pressure of institutional patrons. This research also demonstrates the dynamic reconciliation mechanism between foreignization and domestication in the translation of Chinese classics, providing theoretical and practical references for enhancing the effectiveness of China’s tea culture dissemination abroad.
},
 year = {2025}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - A Study on the Interpretation of Cultural Heterogeneity in Chinese Classics Translation — Taking the English Translation of The Classic of Tea as an Example

AU  - Li Huifang
Y1  - 2025/10/27
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11
T2  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JF  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JO  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
SP  - 100
EP  - 106
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-1271
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20251104.11
AB  - Translation is a cross-cultural interpretive activity that requires respect for the uniqueness of “the other” in the source language culture and reconciliation of its heterogeneity within the target language environment. Taking two English translations of The Classic of Tea as research subjects, this paper explores the interpretation of cultural heterogeneity in Chinese classics and the similarities and differences in their compensatory strategies from the perspective of translation motivations. The study shows that the two translations adopt sharply different interpretive strategies. Carpenter’s version, produced at the time of the Cold War for Western audiences who knew little about the East, tends to adopt domestication, smoothing away cultural friction so the text would be accepted more easily. Jiang’s, by contrast, appears under China’s cultural “going-out” initiative: here the translator speaks as a self-appointed cultural envoy, foregrounding foreignness through an alienating lens. What drives the swing from one pole to the other is a mix of imagined readers, ideological stance, and the quiet pressure of institutional patrons. This research also demonstrates the dynamic reconciliation mechanism between foreignization and domestication in the translation of Chinese classics, providing theoretical and practical references for enhancing the effectiveness of China’s tea culture dissemination abroad.

VL  - 11
IS  - 4
ER  -

Copy | Download