Lexical Density and Its Fluctuation: A Study on Multiple English Translations of the Analects of Confucius

Lexical density in translation (translation LD hereafter)is defined as the average number of English words that have been used to translate one classical Chinese clause.First, translation LD is defined with the external reference to the Chinese original text.Since the definition is not confined by the internal lexical system or grammatical structure of the English language,there is no need to distinguish between content words and function words.Secondly, translation LD can be used to analyse translated clause complexes, translated chapters and whole translated versions, so that different styles of translation are demonstrated.Thirdly, Pound's and Ku's English translations of the Analects of Confucius establish an interval of translation LD, that is,[5.91, 9.13], within which existing English translations of the Analects actually fluctuate.This interval redefines the range of multiple English translations of the Analects and even that of English translation of Chinese classics as a whole.