Sengrui investigated problems in translating the names of things. This is of course an important traditional concern whose locus classicus is the Confucian exhortation to “rectify names” (正名). This is not merely of academic concern to Sengrui, for poor translation imperils Buddhism. Sengrui was critical of his teacher Kumarajiva's casual approach to translating names, attributing it to Kumarajiva's lack of familiarity with the Chinese tradition of linking names to essences (名實).
Much of the early material of earlier translators was gathered by Sengyou and would have been lost but for him. Sengyou’s approach to translation resembles Huiyuan's, in that both saw good translation as the middle way between elegance and plainness. However, unlike Huiyuan Sengyou expressed admiration for Kumarajiva’s elegant translations.
Xuanzang’s theory is the Five Untranslatables (五種不翻), or five instances where one should transliterate:
Secrets: Darani 陀羅尼, a Sanskrit mantra.
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Polysemy: bhaga (as in the Bhagavad Gita) 薄伽, which means comfortable, flourishing, dignity, name, lucky, esteemed.
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None in China: jambu tree 閻浮樹, which does not grow in China.
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Deference to the past: the translation for anuttara-samyak-sambodhi is already established as Anouputi 阿耨菩提.
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To inspire respect and righteousness: Prajna 般若 instead of “wisdom” (智慧).
Yan Fu is famous for his theory of fidelity, clarity and elegance (信達雅), which some believe originated with Tytler. Yan Fu wrote that fidelity is difficult to begin with. Only once the translator has achieved fidelity and clarity should he attend to elegance. The obvious criticism of this theory is that it implies that inelegant originals should be translated elegantly. Clearly, if the style of the original is not elegant or refined, the style of the translation should not be elegant either.
Liang Qichao put these three qualities of a translation in the same order, fidelity first, then clarity, and only then elegance.
Lin Yutang stressed the responsibility of the translator to the original, to the reader, and to art. To fulfill this responsibility, the translator needs to meet standards of fidelity (忠實), smoothness (通順) and beauty.
Lu Xun's most famous dictim relating to translation is "I'd rather be faithful than smooth" (寧信而不順).
Ai Siqi described the relationships between fidelity, clarity and elegance in terms of Western ontology, where clarity and elegance are to fidelity as qualities are to being.
Zhou Zuoren assigned weightings, 50% of translation is fidelity, 30% is clarity, and 20% elegance.
Zhu Guangqian wrote that fidelity in translation is the root which you can strive to approach but never reach. This formulation perhaps invokes the traditional idea of returning to the root in Daoist philosophy.
Fu Lei held that translation is like painting: what is essential is not formal resemblance but rather spiritual resemblance (神似).
Qian Zhongshu wrote that the highest standard of translation is transformation (化, the power of transformation in nature): bodies are sloughed off, but the spirit (精神), appearance and manner (姿致) are the same as before (故我, the old me or the old self).  
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