Abstract

This paper studies the key issue of how the concept of baptism is translated into Chinese. The primary source material is a series of papers written by Zhang Yijing and published in True Light during the 1920s. Reviewing Zhang’s work, I argue that translation strategies alone are insufficient to explain the choice of translation used. This conclusion is supported by a text analysis of his translation choices and a survey of the methods used. Building on the theory of identity, it is argued that the perspective of identity provides a fuller understanding of the motives behind the translator’s choices.