A few folks have wondered how I go about translating the Dao De Jing into Weaving the Virtuous Way. What sources do I use? What does the translation process look like? Are you really translating Lao Zi or are you offering your interpretation?
Those kinds of things.
The Project
I believe a translator’s job is to effectively recreate the ideas from one worldview in a different worldview. The source worldview is the total contextual environment from which the original text emerged, while the destination is the total contextual environment of the perceived audience.
Working with the implications of a text that is at least 2300 years old poses some challenges. For example, I am completely unable to fulfill one side of the bridge because I cannot have first-hand experience of the socio-political environment, author, intended audience, language, conditions of its composition, and so on.
Fortunately, my life has included much study and practical experience with Chinese culture and language, including more-than-typical (for my demographic) exposure to its ancient forms. Also, I have been immersed in Chinese and Chinese-derived perspectives for most of my life. For example, I have a BA and MA in Chinese Language and Culture from Ohio State. I studied, lived, and worked in China on and off through my 20s. My first wife was Chinese and my oldest daughter was born there. My martial arts and Zen practice, while both distinctly Japanese, are heavily influenced by Chinese practices.
I apply this understanding when ingesting the source text, bringing its principles into my system, and metabolizing them. When it comes time to spit them back out in English, I have two priorities:
- Is what I’m saying in English faithful to the source text's intended literal meaning, teaching, tone, and feeling?
- Is what I’m saying in English conveying the above in a way that is clear, accessible, and pleasant to a native English speaker?
My overall objective is to honor and authentically represent one of the greatest manuals for meditative living ever written in the hope that people today will be able to apply its wisdom. The verse section is meant to enchant the reader with the beauty and mystery of the Dao De Jing, inviting effective contemplation through its clarity. In the commentary, I am solely focused on elucidating each verse’s implications for modern life.
The Process
Each chapter is composed of a brief introduction, the verse translation, and a brief commentary. Perhaps the commentary will be expanded if this all comes together in a book. In a book, I’d also likely include an appendix cataloging the various interesting, influential decisions made in the translation process.
The translation itself begins by reading, side-by-side, six different versions of the Dao De Jing. I rely on the exquisite work of Nina Correa who owns daoisopen.com and has published these six versions in comparison charts. During this time, I make determinations about which characters to use in the case of variance. Frequently, I prefer the older texts to the newer ones, but not always. I also do not assume that any character variance indicates an error; sometimes, I believe the meanings held in variations are complimentary and shed light on the overall teaching.
During this time, I put down a rough draft of the verse, referencing various online dictionaries like wiktionary, zdic, and baike as needed.
After getting as far as I can that way, I reference three Chinese commentaries. In this phase, I am digging into the meanings associated with the verse and how particularly uncommon characters have been handled. While doing this, I continue to refine the translation using dictionaries and thesauruses (especially wordhippo.com).
Usually; the translation is fairly well refined by this point.
As a final step, I reference a few English versions and their commentaries. The primary ones are “Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition” by Jonathan Star, “My Dao De Jing” by Nina Correa, and “Making Life Significant: A Philosophical Translation by Roger T. Ames” and David L. Hall. This step provides the final nudges for the verse translation and additional fodder for my own commentary.
And that’s it!