中國古典詩中大量使用典故，對翻譯者構成極大的挑戰。可能造成誤譯，可能譯出後原有的效果盡失，或大打折扣；面對各種可能的翻譯策略，譯者不免躊躇，顧此失彼恐難避免，得失之間卻費思量。例如「芳草萋萋」一辭，按照字面譯成"fragrant grass is rich and thick"是再自然不過了，忠於原文，對譯者也簡便。可是西方讀者讀來只不過是很普通的草的意象而已，其源自中國傳統的暗示意義在翻譯的過程即喪失了。本文即在檢視中國古典詩的英譯者處理典故時所採用的策略，以及影響策略決定的有關因素。芬蘭學者Dr. Ritva Leppihalme認為典故的熟悉度是選擇翻譯策略的決定性因素，作者認為此說法只適用於有共同文化背景的歐洲語言之間的互譯，歐系語言有諸如聖經、莎士比亞、希臘神話、希臘悲劇等跨文化的典故。中國古典詩的英譯，典故的熟悉度幾乎不存在，對翻譯策略沒有影響。主要的影響因素是典故的性質與形式典故在全詩中的作用，以及譯者本人的翻譯美學觀點。
When a translator sees "芳草萋萋" in a traditional Chinese poem, he tends to render it readily into "fragrant grass is rich and thick." It is natural and simple enough, and the reader of the English text feels nothing special about it. However, the situational connotation concealed in the poem is lost in the process. The translation of allusions thus presents problems difficult to surmount, especially between such languages as English and Chinese of which the culture and writing system are so different The requirement that a translation should be faithful cannot remove the fundamental gulf between the two languages. Every translation must lack some of the overtones of the original. However faithful we try to be, we have to make difficult decisions. The purpose of this study is to examine the translation strategies that have been used, and to investigate what factors might be involved in the decision-making. The subjective factors are the translator's personal philosophy or aesthetics of translation and the purpose of the translation. The objective factor is the form and nature of the allusion and its function in the whole work which confine the translators' choices of strategies.
