第三讲 文学翻译的方法和技巧及语言和形式

第三讲文学翻译的方法和技巧上次翻译练习作业Inthisgeneralmovement,unhappyAfricaatlastisremembered;Africa,whobegantheraceofcivilizationandhumanprogressinthedim,graydawnofearlytime,butwho,forcenturies,haslainboundandbleedingatthefootofcivilizedandChristianizedhumanity,imploringcompassioninvain.Buttheheartofthedominantrace,whohavebeenherconquerors,herhardmasters,hasatlengthbeenturnedtowardsherinmercy;andithasbeenseenhowfarnobleritisinnationstoprotectthefeeblethantooppressthem.ThanksbetoGod,theworldhasatlastoutlivedtheslave-trade!（PrefacetoUncleTom’sCabinbyHarrietBeecherStowe）上次翻译作业（1）在这场广泛开展的运动中，充满苦难而不幸的非洲终于被人们重又记起。非洲，早在人类尚未开化的蒙昧时代，这片土地即开始了人类文明和种族的繁衍。然而几个世纪以来，她却流着血，匍匐在基督教化了的文明种族脚下，徒然地乞求着怜悯。终于，今天那些居于统领地位的种族，那些她的征服者，她那冷酷无情的主人们带着他们的仁慈和恩惠，面向她转过身来。人们已经认清了对于任何一个国家或民族来说保护弱小远比欺压他们要来得高尚得多。感谢上帝，奴隶贸易终于在这个世界上灰飞烟灭了！上次翻译作业（2）在这场广泛的运动中，不幸的非洲终于被世人记住了:曾在人类历史的蒙昧时期开始文明和人类进步历程的非洲，近几百年来，却在那些信奉基督教的文明人的脚下受奴役，流血汗，徒劳地乞求怜悯。可是，作为征服者、凶狠的主人和占统治地位的民族，终于对她动了怜悯之心。人们认识到，对于国家来说，保护弱小比恃强凌弱不知要高尚多少。感谢上帝，奴隶贸易在世界上已不复存在！一、归化和异化1.DomesticationandforeignizationThequestionofthechoicebetweendomesticationandforeignizationintranslationhaslongbeenthefocusofdiscussioninthefieldoftranslationstudies.Domesticationisanapproachinwhichtheoriginalimagery,styleoflanguage,andmoodsarechangedtothosefamiliartothereaderinthetargetlanguage,soastoensurethegreatestdegreeofacceptance.

Forexample,rosesinEnglishmaybecomepeoniesinChinese,andEnglishidiom“growlikemushrooms”maybecome“growlikebamboosafterspringrains”.Foreignization,ontheotherhand,isanapproachinwhichtheoriginalimageryandotherelementsoftheformorstyleareretainedinthetargetlanguagesothattheoriginalstylecanbekept,culturalcolororimplicationswillnotgetlostandthetargetlanguagecanthusbeenrichedwiththevividandfreshexpressions.Asapairofbinaryoppositions,domesticationandforeignizationaretwobasicstrategiesintranslation,thoughsometimestheymaybereferredtoasotherterms.Forinstance,naturalizationandbarbarization(Liu,1975:60),orassimilationandalienation(qtd.inLiu&Yang,2002:20).ThefirstoneinthepairisreferredtoasTLculture-orientedandthesecondoneSLculture-oriented(qtd.inGuoJianzhong,2000:276).ThetermsdomesticationandforeignizationwerefirstputforwardbytheAmericantranslatorVenuti(1995).TheadvancementofthesetwotermswasbasedonthetheoryofGermanphilosopherSchleiermacher.Schleiermacherthinksthattherearetwokindsoftranslation:oneisthatthetranslatorleavestheauthorinpeaceasmuchaspossible,andmovesthereadertowardhim;theotheristhatthetranslatorleavesthereaderinpeaceasmuchaspossible,andmovestheauthortowardhim.AccordingtoVenuti,domesticationisaderogatoryterm,because“[it]isidentifiedwithapolicycommonindominantcultureswhichareaggressivelymonolingual,unreceptivetotheforeign’,andwhichhedescribesasbeing‘accustomedtofluenttranslationsthatinvisiblyinscribeforeigntextwith[targetlanguage]valuesandprovidereaderswithnarcissisticexperienceofrecognizingtheirowncultureinaculturalother’”(qtd.inSchuttleworthandCowie,1997:43-44,59).Foreignization,accordingtoVenutiisastrategyoftranslationinwhichatargettextisproducedwhichdeliberatelybreakstargetconventionsbyretainingsomethingoftheforeignnessoftheoriginal”(Venuti,1995:43).Venutiregardsforeignizationasachallengetodomesticationanditcan“registerthelinguisticandculturaldifferenceoftheforeigntext,sendingthereaderabroad”(Venuti,1995:20)AcasestudyofaChineseversionofUncleTom’sCabin

1.1Domesticatedexpressionsandstyle

1.1.1Useoffour-characterexpressionsandChineseidiomsItseemsthatthetranslatorissofondoffour-characterChinesephrasesorexpressionsthatalmostverypageoftheChineseversionofthenovelisfilledwiththem.Someofthemarewellused,conveyingtheoriginalmeaningspreciselyandrecreatingtheimageryvividly.Butquiteafewoftheseexpressionsarenotappropriatelyused,andtheynotonlygivethetranslationthecharacteristicsoftheChineselanguage,butalsotingethisAmericannovelwiththecolorofChineseculture.Forinstance,“writingutensils”(Stowe29;ch.4)becomes“wenfangsibao”(traditionalChinesefourtreasuresofthestudy:writingbrush,inkstick,inkslabandpaper)(Huang28);“hunteddown…likeadeer”(Stowe90;ch.9)becomes“sangjiazhiquan”(asfrightenedasastraycur,whichalsotracesitsorigintoaChineseclassic)(Huang85)ThetranslatoralsousesquiteafewothertypicalChineseidiomsorfixedphrasesandcolloquialexpressionsbesidesfour-characterexpressions.Forinstance,“fool”(Stowe117;ch.12)becomes“erbaiwu”,(literallytwohundredandfifty,verycolloquialexpressionmeaningthefoolishperson)(Huang110);“besthand”(Stowe104;ch.11)becomes“diyibajiaoyi”(literallythefirstchair,themostimportantpersonorthepersonwhotakesthegreatestresponsibility)(Huang98);

1.1.2UseofnaturalizedstructureinsteadoftypicalstructureoftheEnglishlanguage.

Thoughgenerallyitisdifficulttoretainthecharacteristicsoftheoriginallanguageinthetargetlanguage,especiallybetweenverydifferentlanguageslikeEnglishandChinese,sometimesitisnotonlydesirablebutalsopossibletokeepsomefeaturesoftheoriginallanguageinthetranslation.Thedomesticatedhandlingoftheoriginalstructurewillweakentheeffectofexpression.Forinstance,“andinthechair,gentlyswayingbackandforward,hereyesbentonsomefinesewing,satouroldfriendEliza.(Stowe131;ch.13).InChineseitbecomes“Intherocking-chairsatouroldfriendEliza…”(Huang124)1.2DomesticatedsceneormoodThebeginningofChapter15“OfTom’sNewMasterandVariousOtherMatters”isanintroductiontoTom’snewmasterStClair’sexperienceofloveaffairesandlaterofhismarriage:howthemisunderstandingbetweenStClaireandhisfirstloveledtohismarriagewithanotherwomanhedidnotreallylove;howhelaterfeltremorsefulwhenthetruthwasrevealedthathisfirstlovestillfosteredloveforhimandshewasnowverymiserablewithoutseeinghim.InrenderingtheaccountofStClair’sfirstlove’sfeelings,thetranslatorusedquiteafewarchaicexpressionsfromtypicaltraditionalChineseliteratureaboutlove-sickwomenwhoarediscardedbytheirhusbandsorlovers(怨妇).Forinstance,伊人(thatperson)，徒唤奈何(cannothelp(somethingfromhappening))，愁肠百结(feelgloomy)，日渐憔悴(pineawaydaybyday)（Huang,143）.TheuseofthesetypicalexpressionsintraditionalChineselove-sickwomenliteraturecreatesatypicalmoodinwhichadiscardedwomanpitieshermisfortuneandcursesherfate;orasentimentalyoungwomanenjoyshersourandsweetlove.Insuchcases,themelancholymoodismoreenjoyedforitsownsakethanpitied.Besides,HuangusessuchclichésascommonlyusedinsomesentimentalpopularChineseliterature:闭月羞花貌(herbeautyissogreatastoshadethemoonandshameflowers)2ValueofForeignizationinTranslation

2.1Newmark’sideaofforeignizationWeholdthatforeignizationapproachshouldbethedominantoneintranslationorinterculturalcommunication.Thisispresupposedbythefunctionoftranslationitself.Translation,accordingtoNewmark,is“renderingthemeaningofatextintoanotherlanguageinthewaythattheauthorintendedthetext”(Newmark,2001:5).Hefurtherarguesthattranslation“isaninstrumentofeducationaswellasoftruthpreciselybecauseithastoreachreaderswhoseculturalandeducationallevelisdifferentfrom,andoftenlowerorearlier,than,thatofthereadersoftheoriginal”(Newmark,2001:6).Fromthiswecanseethatthefunctionoftranslationistoovercomethebarrieroflanguage,bridgethedifferencesincultureandeducation,andfacilitatecommunicationbetweendifferentgroupsofpeople.Throughtranslation,peoplespeakingdifferentlanguagesfromdifferentculturalbackgroundscancommunicate,learnthingsnewtothemandthusgainanunderstandingofpeopleofothernationsandalsoanunderstandingofalienplacesandthings.AgainNewmark’sremarkWhileIthinkthatallimageshaveuniversal,culturalandpersonalsources,thetranslatorofpoetrycannotmakeanyconcessiontothereadersuchastransferringtheforeignculturetoanativeequivalent.IfautumninChinaistheseasonnotofKeats’s“mistsandmellowfruitfulness”,butofhighclearskiesandtransparentwaters,andthesoundofclotheslaunderedforthecoldweatherpoundedonthewashingblocks,thenthereadermustsimplyacceptthisbackgroundand,ifhewantstofeelit,repeatedreadingismorelikelytomakeithisownpossessionthanaredetailedbackground,explanationofallusionsandsoon(Newmark,2001:164).2.2Moretheoriesofforeignization

BesidesNewmark,othertheoristsoftranslationstudiesalsoadvocatethestrategyofforeignization.FredricJamesonholdsthat“translationtendstoblockoutwhatmakesupthemostconfusingandvividfeatureofourexperienceofOtherness,namely,theunfamiliaritself”.Thelimitationofanyattempttodomesticateorfamiliarizetheunfamiliarwouldbethat“nothingmarsatranslationmorethantheattempttorenderanidiomidiomatically”(qtd.inXie,2000:68).HerewhatishighlyregardedintranslationisthequalityofOthernessortheunfamiliar,whichcanonlybeachievedbyforeigniztion.WehavediscussedVenuti’sideaofdomesticationandforeignizationandhispreferenceforforeignizationinsection3.Nowletusputinonemorewordabouthisideaofforeignization.Venutiisopposedtodomesticationandisastaunchadvocateofforeignization.Hepointsoutthatthestrategyoffluencytranslationconcealsthedifferencesbetweenculturesandinfactisculturalimperialism(Venuti,1995:20).Hecallsforresistantstrategiesintranslationsoastorevealculturaldifferences,inthiswaytoresistimperialisticdomestication(Venuti,1992:13).3.Explorationofthe

CausesbehindDomesticatingStrategyoftheTran