翻译概论

翻译概论

一、名称解释

1、The linguistic turn---Since 1950s, some linguists paid close attention to the issue of translation and published a series of works that were fundamental to the translation studies, such as Introduction to the Theory of Translation composed by A.V.Fedorov in 1953, Les problemes theoriques de la traduction written by famous French linguist Georges Mounin in 1963, and A Linguistic Theory of Translation: An Essay in Applied Linguistics composed by J.C.Catford in 1965. These researches were the representatives of the linguistic turn of the translation in 1950s and 1960s, which lead translation from the technical and practical studies to theoretical studies and started to explore the underlying issues such as the essence of translation.

2、Strictly speaking, in western world, the first translated work is the Latin version of Homer’s epic Odyssey, which was translated by Andronicus in the middle of 3rd century from Greek.

3、The theologist and translator St. Jerome, who has translated numerous Greek theological works, is named “the father of translation study” by today’s western translation scholars.

4、Luo Xinzhang summarized the process of the traditional translation as four key words, namely, original text, fidelity, alikeness in spirit and perfection.

5、In his work Contemporary Translation Theories (2001) , Edwin Gentzler classified contemporary translation theories into five schools as school of T training, T science school, early T research School, Poly-system and deconstructivism, all of which began in the mid-1960s and continue to be influential today.

6、Apart from the methods proposed by Nida to distinguish the meaning of the words, C.W.Morris also suggested that the meaning of the word could be classified as referential meaning, intralingual meaning and pragmatic meaning.

7、Dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence are terms for methods of translation coined by Eugene Nida. The two terms have often been understood as fundamentally the same as sense-for-sense translation and word-for-word translation respectively. His original definition of dynamic equivalence was: the translator should translate so that the effect of the translation on the target reader is roughly the same as the effect of the source text once was on the source reader.

Formal equivalence---- Formal equivalence attempts to render the text word-for-word (if necessary, at the expense of natural expression in the target language). Formal equivalence focuses attention on the message itself, in both form and content. It is concerned that the message in the receptor language(译语)should match as closely as possible the different elements in the source language（原语）.

Dynamic equivalence --- dynamic equivalence (also known as functional equivalence) attempts to convey the thought expressed in a source text (if necessary, at the expense of literalness,

original word order, the source text's grammatical voice, etc.).A translation of dynamic equivalence aims at complete naturalness of expression, and tries to relate the receptor to modes of behavior relevant within the context of his own culture.

8、Semantic /Communicative Translation:

Semantic T ranslation---It was proposed by Peter·Newmark in his book Approach to Translation. Semantic translation attempts to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the original within the constraints of the grammatical structures of the target language. But it also takes account of the aesthetic value of the source language.

Communicative T ranslation---In communicative translation, the translator should produce the same effect on the TL readers as was produced by the original on the SL readers. So in communicative translation, the translator has greater freedom to interpret ST and will consequently smooth over irregularities of style, remove ambiguities and even correct the author’s factual errors.

9、rewriting--- This theory is proposed by Andre Lefevere in his work Translation, Rewriting and Manipulation of Literary Frame. He defines translation as a rewriting of original text. In his opinion, translation is not an isolated activity. It serves a special purpose or many purposes at the same time and each time it has been shaped by a certain force, power or reason. The idea of translation as rewriting is that the translation is not merely a replacement or a reproduction of an original text but as a rewriting also connected with poetics, power and ideology.

10、3 factors in rewriting

1) Professionals with the literary system including critics and reviewers, teachers and translators themselves.

2) Patronage outside the literary system: the powers that can further or hinder the reading, writing and rewriting of literature.

3) The poetics which is the dominant concept of what literature should be, or can be allowed to be in a given society.

11、Skopos theory--- The Skopos theory is an approach to translation put forward by Hans V emeer and developed in Germany in the late 1970s. The word “Skopos” is from Greek which means “purpose”. This approach to translation stresses the purpose of the translation and determines the translation strategies. It allows the possibility of the same text being translated in different ways according to the purpose of the TT and the commission which is given to the translator. Developed in Germany in the late 1970s, it reflects a general shift from predominantly linguistic and rather formal translation theories to a more functionally and socioculturally oriented concept of translation.

12、General rules in Skopos theory

1) Skopos rule: human action, including translation is determined by its purpose, for example the clients’ needs. The skopos is largely constrained by TT user and his/her situation and cultural background.

2) Coherence rule: TT must be sufficiently coherent for the intended users to comprehend it,

given their assumed background knowledge and situational circumstances.

3) Fidelity rule: Concerns intertextual coherence between TT and ST. Some relationship must remain the two texts.

13、Foreignization and Domestication

Foreignization: It is a preferred choice of Schlemiermacher, whose description is of a translation strategy where “the translator leaves the author alone, as much as possible, and moves the reader towards him”. V enuti’s foreignizing method is sending the reader abroad, a strategy termed by V enuti as “resistancy”—a non-fluent or estranging translation style designed to make visible the presence of the translator by highlighting the foreign identity of the ST and protecting it from the ideological dominance of the TC.

These concepts are proposed by Lawrence V enuti in his book Translation Invisibility: A History of Translation in 1995.It is the type of translation in which a TT (target text) is produced to deliberately break target conventions by retaining something of the foreignness of the original. It is source language culture oriented and can help keeping the original taste of the source text; introducing the exotic culture into the target language.

Domestication: the translation strategy in which a transparent, fluent style is adopted in order to minimize the strangeness of the foreign text for TL (target language) readers. It is target language culture oriented and can help enhancing readability of the target text and promoting cultural communication.

14、Invisibility--- Lawrence V enuti put forward this concept to describe the translator’s situation and activity in contemporary Anglo-American culture. Invisibility is typically produced (1) by the way translators themselves tend to translate “fluency”into English and to produce an idiomatic and readable TT, thus creating an illusion of transparency. (2) by the way the TTs are typically read in the TC.

15、Feminist---The representatives are Luise V on Flotow and Sherry Simon. The goal of feminist translation viewed as “rewriting in the feminine”, is to make women visible in language and to reveal increasing gender awareness The core for the feminists translation theory is that the feminist theorists see parallel between the status of translation, which is often considered to be derivative and inferior to original writing ,and that of women. Feminists seek to identify and criticize the tangle of concepts which relegates both women and translation to the bottom of the social and literary ladder.

16、T ranslationese (or Third Language )---refers to TL usage which is perceived as unnatural, impenetrable or comical because of its obvious reliance on features of SL. Translationese is typically caused by an excessively literal approach to the translation process or an imperfect knowledge of TL.

17、separate construction---it is the sentence with an attached element, separate mark such as comma, dash before, after or in between the complete sentence, a single word or phrase without predicative verbs, or meaning attached to the sentence.

18、translation variant--- it allows translators to abstract the main body or parts of the original text, using the strategy of expansion, selection, concentration, elaboration or adaption to meet the specific needs of the readers. It often violates the conventional rules or structures of grammar in order to achieve the innovation in form or meaning of the language.

19、the characteristics of translation: sociality, culture property, semiotic transformation, creativity, history property.