Jorge L. Borges' Creative Translations of Chinese Texts

Borges' creative translations of philosopher Chuang Tzu's butterfly dream derive from direct translations from the Chinese. We delve into those Borges' translations, reducing them to two – the definitive one being attributed by him to Chuang Tzu and the translator Herbert Giles. Giles' merit was to use the impersonal word “man” instead of repeating the doubting philosopher's name. Retranslations of Borges' versions into major Western languages are literal, although some translators deem his use of “now” near the end – highlighting a drive towards present time – to be redundant. Commentators from a Chinese perspective and Western sinologists have acknowledged Borges' keen sense of universality, while expressing discomfort with the liberties he took in these translations. The debate can be more productive if one understands Borges as a writer who conscientiously explored the limits of knowledge between cultures and who, being skeptical of philosophical systems, was interested in the complex fiction-reality nexus.