An Effectiveness Analysis of Translational Compensation in Rendering TCM Formula Names: A Case Study of “<i>Shanghan</i><i> Lun</i>”

《伤寒论》作为中医四大经典之一，蕴含着丰富的中医古典医学智慧与中华文化底蕴，其对外译介对于中医药跨文化传播意义重大。以罗希文和李照国的《伤寒论》英译本为例，探究翻译补偿策略在中医经典文献翻译中的运用成效。研究表明，翻译补偿策略在《伤寒论》这类中医经典文献翻译中发挥着关键作用，犹如一座桥梁。一方面，通过引入目标文化中意义相近的表达实现文化补偿，有助于国际读者跨越语言和文化障碍，加深对中医文化内涵的理解深度与广度；另一方面，针对原文中难以直译的术语，采用解释性翻译进行语义补偿与功能补偿，能够清晰呈现方剂成分与功效，使方剂名更易被国际读者领会，同时也有助于保证翻译的准确性，提升译作的可读性。结论：本研究以期为中医药术语库的构建以及跨文化医学交流提供理论支撑，也为后续中医典籍翻译提供研究思路。 “Shanghan Lun”, as one of the four canonical classics of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), embodies profound ancient medical wisdom and profound Chinese cultural heritage. Its translation plays a pivotal role in facilitating the cross-cultural dissemination of TCM knowledge. This study examines the application and efficacy of translation compensation strategies in rendering classical TCM texts, with a focus on the English translations by Luo Xiwen and Li Zhaoguo. Findings reveal that translation compensation serves as a crucial bridge in the translation of “Shanghan Lun” and similar classical medical texts. Culturally, it introduces target-culture equivalents to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers, thereby enhancing global readers’ comprehension of TCM’s philosophical and therapeutic depth. Linguistically, explanatory translation and annotations are employed to achieve semantic and functional compensation for untranslatable terms, ensuring accurate representation of formula components and therapeutic effects while improving readability. This research aims to provide theoretical support for the construction of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) terminology database and cross-cultural medical exchanges, and also offer research ideas for the translation of subsequent TCM classics.