From the discussion of other thread, it triggered me to ponder about the accuracy of translation and interpretation of ancient Chinese philosophical texts into modern English language. It could be the same situation as the bible. The bible was written in mainly Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. It was later translated into Latin and English. There are three approaches of the translations:
1. words by words from ancient langugages into English
2. Thought by thought from ancient languages into English
3. A mixture of words and thought translation
Given that the anicent Chinese language is very different from modern Chinese, there might be some losts in the actual meanings of the original texts. I believe most of the English translations are based on the translated modern Chinese texts rather than the ancient Chinese texts, more actual meanings might be missed during the translation and interpretation process.
Looking at the book shelves in the book shops about English translated books on
I-Ching (book of Change) and Tao Te Ching, there are so many different versions by various authours. What are the recommended approach to ensure the interpretations are closer to the original anicent texts?