A Comparative Study of the Translation of Mozi

Centering upon the purpose of translation,readers' requests and the text type,the present paper makes a comparative study of the two English versions of Mozi and explains why it needs to be retranslated.The author argues that 1.clarity,smoothness and conciseness should be taken as the basic principle for translating the Chinese classics such as Mozi;2.the reader-oriented approach should be taken in deciding on the style and the method of translation;3.for the sake of thematic coherence and contextual coherence,the translator is entitled to make necessary modifications in the process of translation.