第三講 文學(xué)翻譯的方法和技巧及語言和形式

第三講文學(xué)翻譯的方法和技巧上次翻譯練習(xí)作業(yè)Inthisgeneralmovement,unhappyAfricaatlastisremembered;Africa,whobegantheraceofcivilizationandhumanprogressinthedim,graydawnofearlytime,butwho,forcenturies,haslainboundandbleedingatthefootofcivilizedandChristianizedhumanity,imploringcompassioninvain.Buttheheartofthedominantrace,whohavebeenherconquerors,herhardmasters,hasatlengthbeenturnedtowardsherinmercy;andithasbeenseenhowfarnobleritisinnationstoprotectthefeeblethantooppressthem.ThanksbetoGod,theworldhasatlastoutlivedtheslave-trade!（PrefacetoUncleTom’sCabinbyHarrietBeecherStowe）上次翻譯作業(yè)（1）在這場廣泛開展的運動中，充滿苦難而不幸的非洲終于被人們重又記起。非洲，早在人類尚未開化的蒙昧?xí)r代，這片土地即開始了人類文明和種族的繁衍。然而幾個世紀(jì)以來，她卻流著血，匍匐在基督教化了的文明種族腳下，徒然地乞求著憐憫。終于，今天那些居于統(tǒng)領(lǐng)地位的種族，那些她的征服者，她那冷酷無情的主人們帶著他們的仁慈和恩惠，面向她轉(zhuǎn)過身來。人們已經(jīng)認(rèn)清了對于任何一個國家或民族來說保護弱小遠(yuǎn)比欺壓他們要來得高尚得多。感謝上帝，奴隸貿(mào)易終于在這個世界上灰飛煙滅了！上次翻譯作業(yè)（2）在這場廣泛的運動中，不幸的非洲終于被世人記住了:曾在人類歷史的蒙昧?xí)r期開始文明和人類進步歷程的非洲，近幾百年來，卻在那些信奉基督教的文明人的腳下受奴役，流血汗，徒勞地乞求憐憫。可是，作為征服者、兇狠的主人和占統(tǒng)治地位的民族，終于對她動了憐憫之心。人們認(rèn)識到，對于國家來說，保護弱小比恃強凌弱不知要高尚多少。感謝上帝，奴隸貿(mào)易在世界上已不復(fù)存在！一、歸化和異化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‘a(chǎn)ccustomedtofluenttranslationsthatinvisiblyinscribeforeigntextwith[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(怨婦).Forinstance,伊人(thatperson)，徒喚奈何(cannothelp(somethingfromhappening))，愁腸百結(jié)(feelgloomy)，日漸憔悴(pineawaydaybyday)（Huang,143）.TheuseofthesetypicalexpressionsintraditionalChineselove-sickwomenliteraturecreatesatypicalmoodinwhichadiscardedwomanpitieshermisfortuneandcursesherfate;orasentimentalyoungwomanenjoyshersourandsweetlove.Insuchcases,themelancholymoodismoreenjoyedforitsownsakethanpitied.Besides,HuangusessuchclichésascommonlyusedinsomesentimentalpopularChineseliterature:閉月羞花貌(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