Contemporary Foreign Languages Studies ›› 2019, Vol. 19 ›› Issue (06): 98-110.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-8921.2019.06.009

• Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Inheritance or Plagiarism: A Case Study of Cheung Yik-man's Partial Translation of San Guo Yan Yi

PENG Wenqing, WANG Jinbo   

  • Online:2019-11-28 Published:2019-12-25

Abstract: Coincidentally, both Yang Xianyi & Gladys Yang and Cheung Yik-man translated chapters 43 to 50,which concern the Battle of the Red Cliff in the classical Chinese novel San Guo Yan Yi. This paper elaborates on the relation between the two partial translations and argues that they are strikingly similar and almost identical throughout several chapters. Through an in-depth analysis of the translations and of the paratextual elements including the preface, publication information, book reviews, and with reference to extra-textual sociocultural factors, the paper concludes that Cheung Yik-man plagiarized Yang and Yang's version copiously in a blatant manner. It is imperative that primary sources should be drawn upon as much as possible and fully utilized in literature reviews, given the fact that indiscriminate citation of secondary sources is often misleading and tends to perpetuate existing errors.

CLC Number: