Sun Zi "Sõja seaduste" tõlkimisest: mõne põhimõiste analüüs
Regardings the Translation Problems on Sun Zi's Art of War: an Attempt to Analyse Some Key Terms

Summary/Abstract: The author presents a survey of the translation process and salient translation problems when translating the well known ancient Chinese military classic The Art of War by the legendary general and military theorist Sun Zi (6–5th century B.C.) into Estonian. The very first Estonian translation of the text was published by the author of this paper in 2001 as the first volume of the series of military classics. The main purpose of the translation was to give a genuine and reliable textual source for the cadets of the Estonian National Defense College to study military history. The translation of an ancient text in a specific form and with a sophisticated and highly specialised vocabulary for the purpose of the public requires the translator to employ a careful and balanced approach to the work. On the one hand, he must follow the needs and norms of academic translation methods. On the other, if the translated text is addressed to a wider audience, it should be comprehensible to them, even if they lack background knowledge in sinological research. The third challenge for the translator was how to translate ancient military terminology into modern terms, and thus create a link between ancient and modern military knowledge and practices this aspect is especially important for cadets studying military science today as they are the primary audience this book is intended for. This paper examines the translation of some critical terms of the Art of War in order to demonstrate that the fixed and defined terms of the original text also need fixed and unchanging equivalents in the target language, in this case in the Estonian language. Through the analysis of terms and their contexts, it is also shown how the basic doctrines of ancient China – Confucianism, Legalism, and Taoism – have influenced military classics.

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