Analysis of the Influencing Factors of the Diversity of Translations of The Analects

The Analects, as the most important Confucian classic record, is one of the most important Chinese classics in the history of Chinese intellectual thinking and culture.There are about 60 English translated versions of The Analects by western missionaries and scholars all over the world.The paper aims at analyzing some factors which influence the diversity of translations of The Analects from cultural and the translators' perspectives by comparing three famous versions of translation, and thus points out that the cultural identity, the purpose of the translator, and the consideration of the target readers may greatly affect the results of translation.