翻译导论

导论

翻译的定义

Translation is the expression in one language (or target language) of what has been expressed in another, source language, preserving semantic and stylistic equivalences.

-------Dubouis, J. et al. Dictionaire de Linguistique

Translation is a craft consisting in the attempt to replace a written message and/ or statement in one language by the same message and /or statement in another language.

---------Newmark, Peter. Approaches to Translation

Translating consists in producing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source language message, firstly in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style.

--------Nida, Eugene A. et Taber, Charles R.

The Theory and Practice of Translation

A fair conclusion from these ideas is that the translator’s work may be analysed into the answering of three questions. Faced with a passage in its original language, he must ask himself:

(i) What does the author say?

(ii) What does he mean?

(iii) How does he say it?

This method of analysis may be applied to the paragraph, to the sentence, or even to the phrase.

-----Savory, Theodore. The Art of Translation

Passage translation:

The word “winner”and “loser”have many meanings. When we refer to a person as a winner, we do not mean one who makes someone else lose. To us, a winner is one who responds authentically by being credible, trustworthy, responsive, and genuine, both as an individual and as a member of a society.

单词“胜者”与“败者”含义颇多。当我们称一个人为胜利者时,并不是指人,让他人一败涂地的人。对我们来说,一个成功者的回应他的真实表现是可信、可靠、机敏、真诚,无论是作为个人还是作为社会的一员。

Winners do not dedicate their lives to a concept of what they imagine they should be; rather, they are themselves and as such do not use their energy putting on a performance, maintaining pretense, and manipulating others. 胜者不会穷其一生的理念,即便是他们认为应为,而是本色行事,所以并不把精力

用来表演,保持假意,操控他人。胜者不会穷其毕生为他们所想象的为人之道They are aware that there is a difference between being loving and acting loving, between being stupid and acting stupid, between being knowledgeable and acting knowledgeable. Winners do not need to hide behind a mask.

他们意识到是有区别的,被爱与装爱、愚蠢、无知之间存在间装傻、博学和装博学的。赢家不需要藏匿于面具背后。

Winners are not afraid to do their own thinking and to use their own knowledge.成功者

不怕进行独立思考和运用自己的知识。They can separate facts from opinions and don’t pretend to have all the answers. 他们能够区分事实与看法,而不会装作通晓所有问题的答案。They listen to others, evaluate what they say, but come to their own conclusions.他们倾听他人意见,品评他人言论,但会得出自己的结论。Although winners can admire and respect other people, they are not totally defined, demolished(驳倒), bound, or awed by them. 虽然胜利者也钦佩他人、尊敬他人,但却不会完全限

制、影响、束缚或吓倒。Winners do not play “helpless”, nor do they play the blaming game, Instead, they assume responsibility for their own lives. 成功者不会佯装“无助”,也不会玩弄“推诿”游戏,相反,他们承担起自己的生活

责任。

翻译的原则和标准

The so-called principles of translation and criteria of translation are actually the two sides of the same thing. The former lays emphasis on the translator, referring to what the translator should follow while translating, whereas the latter on the reader or critic, who may use the criteria to evaluate a translation.

刘重德《文学翻译十讲》

Dynamic equivalence is therefore to be defined in terms of degree to which the receptors of the message in the receptor language respond to it in substantially the same manner as the receptors in the source language. This response can never be identical, for the cultural and historical settings are too different, but there should be a high degree of equivalence of response, or the translation will have failed to accomplish its purpose.

--------Eugene A. Nida & Charles R. Taber,

The Theory and Practice of Translation Dialogue translation:

1. A: Why is the river rich?

B: Because it has two banks.

2. A:What does that lawyer do after he dies?

B: Lie still.

It will follow:

I.That the translation should give a complete transcript of the ideas

of the original work.

II.That the style and manner of writing should be of the same character with that of the original.

III.That the translation should have all the ease of original composition.

--------Tytler, Alexander Fraser. Essay on the Principles of Translation 译例举偶及翻译点评

[例1]

原文：A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps, for there is a companionship of books as well as of man.

译文1：人们往往可以从一个人所交往的朋友以及所阅读的书目中看到他的为人，因为，人与人之间存在友谊，人与书之间也存在友谊。译文2：所谓欲知其人，先观其友；观其阅读书目，亦能知其人，因人可与人为友，亦可与书为友。

[例2]

原文：If you are an energetic man with strong view as to the right way of doing the job with which you are concerned, you find yourself invariably

under the orders of some big man at top who is elderly, weary and cynical.

译文1：如果你是个精力充沛的人，对于如何恰当地完成你的工作有着独到的见解，你发现自己总要听命于上面某个大人物，他上了年纪，精力不支，还爱吹毛求疵。

译文2：即使你活力十足，对如何做好自己的工作富于创见，仍然免不了要受制于某个年长资深、精力不支、不纳贤言的高层大人物，难以有所作为。

[例5]

原文：An individaul human existence should be like a river small at first, narrowly contained with in its banks, and rushing passionately past boulders and over waterfulls.

译文1：人生应当像条河，开始河身狭小，夹在两岸之间，河水奔腾咆哮，流过巨石，飞下悬崖。，

译文2：人生好比一条河，开始是峡谷细流，接着是急流勇进，冲过巨石，飞下悬崖。

Passage translation

A good book is often the best urn of a life enshrining the best that life could think out;一本

好书常常是最好的缸，珍藏着生活最美好的for the world of a man’s life is, for the most part, but the world

of his thoughts.对于大多部分来说，一个人的世界就是他思想的世

界。Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforts. 因此,最好的书是金玉良言，铭记和珍惜这金色的思想的宝库，就会成为我们忠实的伴侣和永远的

安抚。“We are never alone,”said Sir Philip Sidney.”that are accompanied by noble thoughts.”“我们永远不会孤独,西德尼爵士说:“因为有高尚思想做伴的。”

Books possess an essence of immortality.书

籍具有不朽的魅力。They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. 它是迄今为止人类不懈奋斗的珍宝。Temples and statues decay, but books survive. 庙宇会倒塌,塑像会颓废,但是书籍却能长存人间。Time is no account with great thoughts, which are fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago. 时间不会淹没伟大的思想，它在今天看来依然的鲜活如同第一次出现在作者的脑海中。What was then said and thought still speaks to us vividly as ever from the printed page. 那时所说的和想的任然生动的在跟我们对话，就如透过书

页。The only effect of time has been sift out the bad products;时间唯一的作用是它筛除了糟粕,for nothing in literature can long survive but what is really good.除了精华以外，没有什么可以在文献中长存。

语言的形式与内容

We eat what we can. What we can’t, we can. Will you please send me a copy of your glove catalogue, with details of your prices and terms of payment?

请惠寄一份贵公司生产的手套清单，并附详细的价目和付款期限。

Many of those fine products are in stock, ready for your order.

上述多种优质产品，备有现货，欢迎订购。

小的扣紧，大的放松，池子里捕鱼，太湖里放生。

Fussy about trifles, careless about big things. Penny wise, pound foolish.

干得很顺手，上汽车没到三分钟，一个钱包

到手了，鼓鼓囊囊的，看来钱不少。

译文一：Three minutes after he stepped on the crowded bus, he had succeeded in pilfering a very full money purse.

译文二：An easy job. Hardly three minutes on the bus, and he had laid hands on a purse. Bulgy. Apparently full of money.

文化的翻译

异化：(alienation /foreign zing translation) A term used by Venuti (1995) to designate the type of translation in which a TT is produced which deliberately breaks target conventions by retaining something of the foreignness of the original. (Shutleworth, Mark & Moira Cowie. Dictionary of Translation Studies, Shanghai: Foreign Language Education Press. 2004: P.59)

归化：(adaptation /domesticating translation) A term used by Venuti (1995) to describe the translation strategy in which a transparent, fluent style is adopted in order to minimize the

strangeness of the foreign text for TL readers. (Shutleworth, Mark & Moira Cowie. Dictionary of Translation Studies, Shanghai: Foreign Language Education Press. 2004: pp. 43-44)

Eg. A carrot- and-stick foreign policy

All roads lead to Rome.

巧媳妇做不出来没有米的粥来，叫我怎么办呢？

Even the cleverest housewife can’t cook a meal without rice. What do you expect me to do?

And I don’t see what I am supposed to do without any meal. Even the cleverest housewife can’t make bread without flour. Happy Red Court

The House of Green Delight

Man proposes, Heaven disposes.

直译/意译

原文：The development of an economical artificial heart is only a few transient failures away.

译文1：要发展一个经济的人工心脏只隔几个短暂的失败。

译文2：只消再经过几次失败，就能造出价格低廉的人工心脏了。

原文：It seems to me what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

译文1：我觉得煮母鹅用什么酱油，煮公鹅也要用什么酱油。

译文2：我认为如何律人就应如何律己/两种情况都适合。

原文：His retort was delivered with a strong note of vinegar.

译文1：他的反驳是带着强烈的醋意发出的。译文2：他用非常尖酸刻薄的口气进行了反驳。

具体翻译方法

班门弄斧

Showing off one’s proficiency with the axe before Lu Ban the master carpenter.

The volume of trade has increased tremendously to the advantage of both

countries.

He impressed me as an honest man.

If you peer at a person through a crack,he looks flat. (That is a prejudice.)

There are many wonderful stories to tell about the places we visited and the people we met. Africa is not kicking out Western imperialism in order to invite other new masters.

She had such a kindly, tender gentle, generous heart of her own.

The isolation of the rural world because of distance and the lack of transport facilities is compounded by the paucity of information.

原文：The rather arresting spectacle of little old Japan adrift amid beige concrete skyscrapers is the very symbol of the incessant struggle between the kimono and the miniskirt. 译文：在那米黄色混凝土摩天大楼丛中，漂浮着小巧玲珑古色古香的日本水上人家。这情景颇有点儿引人注目；恰好象征着和服和

超短裙之间持续不断的斗争。

原文：New York has the poorest millionaires, the smallest great men, the haughtiest beggars’, the plainest beauties, the lowest sky scrapers, the dolefulness pleasure of any town I ever saw.

译文：纽约有的是心灵最空虚的百万富翁，人格最渺小的伟人，最目空一切的草包，最使人瞧不上眼的美女，最卑鄙龌龊的摩天大楼和最令人悲哀的娱乐，这一切比我所见到过的任何城市都有过之而无不及。

原文：It was clear to me that we were soul mates when it came to reducing government and expanding economic opportunity.

译文：显而易见，涉及减少政府干预和扩大经济机会这个问题，我们俩是心有灵犀一点通的。