A Study on the English Translation of the Penal Code Section of Ta Tsing Leu Lee from the Perspective of Eco-Translatology: A Case Study of the English Translation by Sir George Thomas Staunton

Abstract

Ta Tsing Leu Lee is an important milestone in China’s legal history. The well-established law code has rich content, including provisions on the basic principles of criminal law, the identification and punishment of various crimes, and judicial procedures. The promulgation and implementation of Ta Tsing Leu Lee promoted the transformation of China’s traditional legal system to a modern one and had a profound impact on later research on criminal law in China. The English version of this legal book translated by Sir George Thomas Staunton was the first attempt by Europeans to translate a whole Chinese legal book, which is of great significance for enriching the research on English translation of criminal law works. In this paper, an in-depth analysis of excerpts from the English translation of the penal code section of the book was conducted using the “three-dimensional transformation” theory of eco-translatology, including the linguistic, cultural adaptation, and communicative dimensions, in order to provide some insights for the English translation of contemporary legal books and their overseas spread.