TRANSLATION OF DAO IN DAO DE JING: CASE STUDY OF TRANSLATIONS INTO PORTUGUESE FROM IN LIGHT OF THE RECEPTION THEORY
Keywords:
Dao De Jing, Dao, Reception theory in translation, Translation of Chinese philosophical works, Chinese Portuguese translationAbstract
Abstract (EN): The Dao De Jing represents the most emblematic work of Daoism (Taoism), whose central concept, the Dao, integrates political ideas and philosophical knowledge linked to the founder of Taoist doctrine, Lao Zi. This classical Eastern work has been extensively translated and disseminated in the Western world. The diversity of translations of the concept of Dao is remarkable, which highlights the influence of the linguistic, religious, and cultural contexts of each translator.
This article proposes a case study on three translations into European Portuguese carried out by António Miguel de Campos (2010), António Graça de Abreu (2021) and Cláudia Ribeiro (revised and improved version of 2022). The aim is, on the one hand, to describe the overall strategies adopted in the Portuguese translations of this classic work and, on the other, to carry out a comparative analysis in relation to their interpretations of the concept of Dao. The translation strategies will be analyzed from the perspective of reception, with the aim of understanding how the ancient Chinese philosophical notion of Dao is conveyed and how the literary and stylistic expectations of Portuguese readers are met. The article thus aims to contribute to the promotion of translation analysis in a philosophical context and to demystify the process of constructing an analytical path between the epistemological knowledge of East and West.
Keywords: Dao De Jing; Dao; Reception theory in translation; Translation of Chinese philosophical works; Chinese Portuguese translation
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