Three Essays on Translation, Jean-François Billeter

A sinologist discusses what he does when translating from classical Chinese to French. These two languages are so different that moving from one to the other requires a particularly acute awareness of what it means to translate. This transition is a textbook case and therefore is also of interest to non-sinologists. They will see the sinologist at work, as Jean François Billerer addresses them as much as he addresses his colleagues. They will discover some of the remarkable properties of classical Chinese and, by contrast, some characteristics specific to French. Above all, they will discover some beautiful ancient Chinese texts, poems or philosophical fragments. In these three essays, which are remarkably clear, the author also makes some suggestions for improving the art of translating from Chinese – or any other language.