Title: Western Knowledge, Chinese Classics,Textbooks, and Terminology: A Study of the Activities and Good Practices of National Institute for Compilation and Translation in the Republic of China

Abstract: National Institute for Compilation and Translation (NICT), as the highest government-run translation institute during the period of the Nanking National Government, exerted a strong political and cultural influence on the society of the Republic of China. This paper analyzes the practices and achievements of NICT in unifying academic terms, translating western books, editing and reviewing textbooks, as well as compiling and translating Chinese classics. Good practices carried out by NICT are summarized as follows: 1) the institutionalized translation and compilation practice meets the needs of national governance; 2) the intensive intellectual assembly fully integrates domestic cultural resources; 3) the integration of compilation, translation and review helps share and relay its achievements; 4) the balance between absorbing western knowledge and disseminating Chinese culture represents its cultural consciousness and national confidence. On the whole, NICT played a transitional role in the history of translation and education in China, which not only promoted the cultural reconstruction during the Republic of China, but also enlightens the operation of contemporary translation and publishing institutes.

Keywords: National Institute for Compilation and Translation, the Republic of China, translation institute, translation history

Authors: Hanxi Zhu, School of International Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Quangong Feng, Professor, School of International Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.