Abstract:

Based on the corpus of six full English translations of Mencius, this study uses hierarchical clustering and multidimensional analysis to examine the similarities and differences of the stylistic features, and explores the potential factors affecting the retranslation of classics. It is found that, in terms of genre, most translations and the non-literary genre of popular reading are grouped into one category. In terms of text type, the translations generally show the characteristics of Involved Persuasion and there exist stylistic variations in certain chapters, possibly due to the influence of the source text and individual differences of translators. In terms of style feature, the differences among translations are mainly reflected in the dimensions of Overt Expression of Persuasion and Abstract/Non-Abstract Information, and the differences in linguistic features can verify the results of genre and text type features. This study contributes to expanding the scope of the studies on the translation of classics and can serve as a significant reference for the translation of Chinese thought and culture.

Key words: English Translations of Mencius, Stylistic Features, Multidimensional Analysis