张培基对散文汉译英中景物描写的翻译策略探析

本科毕业设计(论文)

题目张培基对散文汉译英中景物描写的翻译策略探析

学院名称外国语学院

专业班级英语08-1

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二〇一二年六月十日

Zhang Peiji’s Translation Techniques of Landscape Description in Chinese Proses

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Contents

Abstract（in English） (1)

Abstract（in Chinese） (2)

Introduction (3)

Chapter1Literature Review (4)

1.1The Brief Introduction to Zhang Peiji (4)

1.2The Research Background of Zhang Peiji’s Translation (5)

1.3The Purpose and Significance of the Present Study (6)

Chapter2Translation Strategies of theVocabulary (7)

2.1Onomatopoetic Words (7)

2.2Color Words (8)

2.3Idiom (10)

Chapter3Translation Strategies of the Sentence (12)

3.1Long Sentence (12)

3.2Rhetoric Devices (13)

3.2.1Simile (13)

3.2.2Metaphor (15)

3.2.3Parallelism (16)

3.2.4Personification (16)

3.3.5Hyperbole (18)

Conclusion (20)

Bibliography (21)

Acknowledgements (22)

Abstract

Landscape description is one of the most important parts in Chinese prose. Zhang Peiji is a famous Chinese translator,whose translation and books have a great influence in the whole.His two volumes of Selected Modern Chinese Prose Writing provide a plenty of excellent translation about Chinese landscape prose.The thesis analyzed24articles from these two volumes to study Zhang Peiji’s translation techniques of landscape description in the Chinese prose by way of case study.This thesis can be divided into three parts:firstly,the background of this study;secondly, the techniques of word translation in landscape description;thirdly,the techniques of sentence translation in landscape description.In the conclusion,it sums up the techniques in translation.

Key words:Zhang Peiji;Chinese prose;translation;landscape description

摘要

景色描写在中国散文中一直占据重要的位置。张培基先生是我国著名的翻译家,他的译著和专著在学术界有着广泛的影响。他的《英译中国现代散文选》(两辑)提供了大量精彩的写景散文的译文。本研究分析了两辑中的24篇作品，主要运用案例分析法，来研究张培基对中国散文中景色描写的翻译技巧。本文主要分为三个部分：第一部分主要介绍本研究的背景。第二部分主要介绍景色描写中词汇的翻译。第三部分主要介绍景色描写中句子的翻译。最后结论中对景色描写的翻译方法进行了系统的总结，并提出研究不足之处。

关键词：张培基中国散文翻译景色描写

Introduction

According to Bassnett’s view points,translation can be regarded as an interaction between two cultures instead of an activity just between two languages. In translating,“it is the function that will be taken up and not the words themselves,”(Bassnett,2004,p.27).Landscape description is one of the most important parts in Chinese prose.It is the description of sceneries and objects in the natural environment and the social environment,which presents the atmosphere of people’s activities.However,because of its unique style,the translation can be very difficult. As a famous translator,Zhang Peiji left a lot of translations of the landscape prose. There are also many scholars to do a lot of studies about his translation techniques, style and so on.Wei Zaijiang(2006)found that the way of thought patterns plays an important role in the translation.As Zhang Peiji dealt with the differences very well, his translation showed a high tone.Another example is Xin Chunhui(2005)said translation should combine the rhythm,meanings and structure through comparison of these two versions.Zhang Jing(2004)tried to analyze the techniques of the word with national traits.In this thesis,I collect more than20articles in the two volumes of Selected Modern Chinese Prose Writing and analyzed the translation of landscape in the aspects of vocabularies and sentences to study his techniques about landscape description.

Chapter1Literature Review

Landscape description is one of the most important parts in Chinese prose, which is full of the writers’emotion.However,because of its unique style,the translation can be very difficult.Zhang Peiji is a famous Chinese translator,whose translation and books have a great influence in the whole world and are widely stored up in a lot of libraries.Two volumes of Selected Modern Chinese Prose Writing are his well known works,which provide a plenty of excellent translation about the Chinese landscape prose.They are also a great work of cultural spreading. There are many studies about his translation style,advantages and disadvantages, aesthetics and so on.His techniques of landscape description are so excellent that deserve us to study.

1.1The Brief Introduction to Zhang Peiji

Zhang Peiji was born in1921in Fuzhou,Fujian province.Together with his family,he moved to Shanghai where he began to receive education.He was enrolled by Shanghai High School.After high school graduation,he became an English journalist and deputy chief editor of China Year Book(1944-1945).In1946,he was employed as an English interpreter at the International Prosecution Section(IPS) under the International Military Tribunal for Far East Military Court in Tokyo,Japan, which was the beginning of his translation career.Then he went abroad to pursue post graduate education at English Literature Institute of Indiana University in America.He came back to China in1949several days later after the founding of the people's republic of China.From1951to1955,he was engaged in editing work for Beijing Foreign Language Press.Afterwards,he began his teaching career in PLA Institute of Foreign Languages and then he taught in Beijing Institute of Foreign

Trade(now renamed as University of International Business and Economics)until his retirement in1992.

Zhang Peiji enjoys a high reputation in the world.As a famous translator in China,he engaged in the cause of translation and introduced the Chinese prose to the whole world.His two books:On English Echoic and Color Words in Chinese-English Translation(1964)and How to Translate Idioms into English(1964) are regarded as the important reference books of translation.In practice,because of two volumes of Selected Modern Chinese Prose Writings,he is well known as the master of translating Chinese prose writings using idiomatic English while retaining the original beauty and charm.Zhang shows his supreme skills on prose translation. These two books are well popular among scholars and English learners in China and people who are fond of Chinese prose abroad.Chinese traditional cultures,glorious customs,ideas and thoughts of that time are effectively transmitted to foreigners.

In brief,his supreme translation techniques are of great significance and deserve a thorough study.In addition,his good understandings about Chinese culture and the persistent pursuit for excellence are worth studying.

1.2The Research Background of Zhang Peiji’s Translation

The classic literature is a window to other countries.Therefore translation of classic works is of great significance to a country.A lot of scholars in the translation circle wrote about the translation techniques,not only in words and sentences,but also in style,etc.Zhang Peiji’s Selected Modern Chinese Prose Writing is one of the preventatives in Chinese translation circle.There are also many excellent studies on that.

Wei Zaijiang(2006)studied the static and dynamic translation in the Zhang Peiji’s books.He found that the way of thought patterns plays an important role in the translation.As Zhang Peiji dealt with the differences very well,his translation showed a high tone.Another example is Xin Chunhui’s(2005)two versions comparison.The writer said translation should combine the rhythm,meanings and structure.In addition,Zhang Jing(2004)tried to analyze the techniques of the word

with national traits.

The other studies also focus on some techniques,style and cooperation,etc.

1.3The Purpose and Significance of the Present Study

The landscape description is one of the important aspects in the Chinese prose, which are filled with the joy and sorrow of the author.However,in translation,the landscape description becomes a barrier for its special features.Zhang Peiji’s supreme techniques of the prose’s translation can be found in his masterpiece:two volumes of Selected Modern Chinese Prose Writings.In these years,there are many scholars in the translation circle wrote about a large number of thesis on his translation style or analyzed some essays of the book.And others only mentioned some points or examples cited from his translated works.However,few of them studied translation techniques of certain type of writing.

The thesis makes a approach to Zhang Peij’s prose translation from a new perspective:translation techniques of landscape description in Chinese prose,which fills in the blank of this circle.At the same time,different from the past studies,this thesis chooses multiple angles and combines different aspects of words and sentences in order to study his techniques comprehensively.

Chapter2Translation Strategies of Vocabulary

Vocabulary is the foundation of the translation.Although the vocabulary is the smallest part of the sentence,it plays an important role,which can not be ignored. The language in the Chinese proses is very flowery,especially in the landscape description.That is due to the choice of the vocabulary.In the landscape description, onomatopoetic words,color words,and the idioms are frequently used to strength the expressive force.The readers can draw pictures in their mind,and they seem to see the color and hear the sounds when reading.Sometimes,these onomatopoetic words and color words are full of symbolic meanings or the writers’emotions. Besides,the use of idioms can add unusual literary talent to the articles and express the meanings better.How to translate the same expressive force and how to keep the original style are two important problems to the translator.In addition,“language is a special culture.The Chinese vocabulary is bound up with the Chinese society, culture and customs”(Zhang,2004,p.105).It is not an easy work to translate the idioms with the culture of a nation.

2.1Onomatopoetic Words

Onomatopoetic Words are an important part of literature.Onomatopoeia is derived from Greek words meaning“name making.”Onomatopoeia means the “name”given to a sound.It's a word imitation of noise.Taking advantages of these words can make a vivid picture and let the readers to imagine the scene by ears. However,there are a lot of differences between Chinese and English onomatopoetic words,not only in form,but also in pronunciation.Sometimes the translator can find the equivalent words,which will make it much easier.For example,

(1)灯火暗到辨不出人面，船身擦着河岸新生的茅草，发出沙沙的声音

[1]Our faces were hardly distinguishable by the dim light of the lantern.

Rustles were heard the boat rubbed its body against the newly grown green grass by the river bank

(2)偶然躺着一只狗，但是决不会对你狺狺地狂吠

[2]Occasionally,you may come upon a dog lying there,which,however,never gives a bark at you.

However,the others were translated by Zhang Peiji in other ways.For example,

(3)立时那些枝叶都悉悉索索地颤抖起来

[3]There was chirping incessantly in the grass

In this example,“悉悉索索”is a typical Chinese expression so that the corresponding words can not be found.Zhang Peiji used a similar expression “chirping”,which is widely used to describe the bird’s voice.For example,“a bird chirping in the tree”.He chosen the English word which has different Chinese meanings from the original Chinese characters,but the foreigners can understand the sentence better.

2.2Color Words

The Chinese prose contains a lot of color words,especially in landscape description.At the same time,color words are various,because the writer can add many adjectives or other words in front of the color words.This combination make the color words countless.In this way,to translate the color word accurately is a hard work.Zhang Peiji’translation rooted in the original work to convey the accurate version.For example,

(4)一边走着，似乎道旁有一个孩子，抱着一堆灿白的东西

[4]As I passed along,I somewhat sensed the presence of a child by the roadside carrying something snow white.

(5)雪白的花，衬在翠绿的树叶下更显得清秀、纯洁

[5]Their pretty snow-white flowers set off by emerald-green leaves appearing all the more dainty and pure

(6)红的蜜桔，青的苹果，五色的杂糖

[6]A jumble of reddish tangerines,green apples and multi-colored candies

(7)门前的麦垅和葡萄架子，都濯得新黄嫩绿的非常鲜丽

[7]Washed by the rain,the wheat fields and grape trellises in front of the cottage door presented a picturesque scene of vivid yellow and tender green In these examples,“雪白”“灿白”all means a kind of white which is cleaning and shining so that Zhang Peiji didn’t focus on the literary meaning and gave the same translation.But“翠绿”“青”“嫩绿”are all green.In Chinese,however, it’s different green color.Zhang Peiji respected the original meanings and translated it literally.For example,

(8)这新居既没有马缨花，也看不到金色的塔顶。但是门前却有一片清碧的荷塘

[8]In the new home of mine,I had no silk trees,nor could I get sight of the glittering spire from afar.There was,however,a lotus pond of limpid blue in front of my door

In addition to adjectives,Chinese writers can also add other words before the color words.For example,

(9)那短篱边牵延着的毛豆叶子，已露出枯黄的颜色来

[9]Soybean leaves on the low hedges are beginning to turn brownish yellow

“黄”means yellow,while“枯”is a verb which means“withered”.If translate it literally,it’ll not accord with the English habit.Therefore,Zhang Peiji tried to translate the appearance of the color rather than Chinese characters.

Sometimes,writers will add more than one word before or after a color word. For example,

(10)蔷薇的花色还是鲜艳的,一朵紫红,一朵嫩红,一朵是病黄的象牙色中带着几分血晕

[10]They were still fresh in color.One was purplish-red,another pink,still another a sickly ivory-yellow slightly tinged with blood-red

It is hard for translating.Not only the color,but also the order of the words is difficult to decide.Zhang Peiji changed the part of speech and non-predicate verb to express.In this way,the problem with orders can be solved and this sentence fits the English structure.

2.3Idiom

The idioms are the treasure of a language,which is filled with the national culture,history,and customs and so on.“Translation means comparing cultures. Translators interpret source culture phenomena in the light of their own culture-specific knowledge of that culture,from either the inside or the outside, depending on whether the translation is from or in to the translator's native language and culture”(Christiane,2001,p.32).It is the reason why it is difficult to translate. However the culture in the world shares some common features.The same tenors and vehicles can be found in English.Zhang Peiji dealt with it very well.His translation kept the original meanings as much as possible and the same time,he also kept the English habit.For example,

(11)不高不矮的围墙挡在两边，斑斑驳驳的苔痕，墙上挂着一串串苍翠欲滴的藤萝，简直像古朴的屏风。墙里常是人家的竹园，修竹森森，天籁细细

[11]On either side of the lane stand enclosing walls of medium height,which, moss-covered and hung with clusters of fresh green wisteria,look almost like screens of primitive simplicity.Inside the walls are residents’gardens with dense groves of tall bamboos as well as soft sounds of nature

(12)低声吟着“帘卷西风，人比黄花瘦”之句，这个小小的灵宫，是弥漫了怅惘的情绪

[12]My heart was filled with melancholy when I recited in a low voice the following lines of an ancient Chinese poet:

When the wet wind furls up the curtain,

I'm frailer than the yellow chrysanthemum.

It’s very hard for the foreigners to understand these words,like“苍翠欲滴”“修竹森森”“天籁细细”.But Zhang Peiji used different ways to translate.“Groves of tall bamboos”is literary translation,while“clusters of fresh green wisteria”and“soft sounds of nature”are not.Zhang Peiji tended to translate the deep meanings. However,all of the translations of idioms can keep the original structures.“Because of the different aesthetics between Chinese and English,the translation leaves some

pity.Chinese pays more attention to emotion and images,while English emphasizes on the logical of language.”(Deng,2008,p.135)

Therefore,literary translation is the best choice to deal with the translation of vocabulary.Finding the equivalent onomatopoetic words and color words are not so hard in translation,because English and Chinese share some common features in these words.However,because of the culture differences,faced with the non-equivalent situation,Zhang Peiji usually used the liberal translation to find the similar expression to handle this problem.

Chapter3Translation Strategies of Sentence

Sentences are the necessary elements in a passage.Sentence is“self-sufficient in grammatical structure and thus it can as the basic unit in translation”(Yan,2002,p.

14).The language of Chinese proses attaches importance to beauty in the content as well as the structure.In the landscape description,the structure of the sentence can be varied.The sentences with different structures combine to make the language fluent and rhythmic,flowing as the stream.At the same time,all kinds of rhetoric devices are used to make the language more vivid,more understandable,and more concrete.These features serve for thinking and emotion’s expression.Long sentences in Chinese are always the difficult part in translation.Translators of Chinese sentences should overcome many barriers caused by different sentence structures.In addition,sentences can consist of different rhetoric devices and the sentences can have their own features.Therefore,the techniques of translation can be varied.

3.1Long Sentence

The difference between the Chinese sentences structure and the English sentence structures is one of the biggest problems in translation.Chinese sentences are like the bamboos while the English sentences are like the trees.For example,

(13)真的，雪花隙里，看不出天空和森林的界限，将繁灯当作繁星，简直是抵得过

[13]With the distinction between sky and forest obscured by snowflakes,the numerous lamp-lights now easily passed for as many stars

In the original sentence,there are three verbs.How to combine them into one English sentence is the obstacle.Zhang Peiji just kept the most important verb as the

predicate verbs while the others switch into the non predicate verbs.But if the original sentence is too long,it can be divided into two or more sentences.For example,

(14)扫街的在树影下一阵扫后，灰土上留下来的一条条扫帚的丝纹，看起来既觉得细腻，又觉得清闲，潜意识下并且还觉得有点儿落寞，古人所说的梧桐一叶而天下知秋的遥想，大约也就在这些深沉的地方

[14]After a street cleaner has done the sweeping under the shade of the trees, you will discover countless lines left by his broom in the dust,which look so fine and quiet that somehow a feeling of forlornness will begin to creep up on you.The same depth of implication is found in the ancient saying that a single fallen leaf from the wutong tree is more than enough to inform the world of autumn's presence Even though in Chinese,it is a full sentence.But from the view of English sentences,it can be divided for it describes two different meanings.This sentence describes the feelings of the writer,but we can not find the subject in the original sentence.Zhang Peiji added a subject and regarded the feelings as the main part of the sentence.The other verbs were put into a subordinate clause.

3.2Rhetoric Devices

Rhetoric is the art of discourse,an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform,persuade,or motivate particular audiences in specific situations.Although Chinese and English have the common rhetoric,the culture’s differences make the techniques varied.

3.2.1Translation Strategies of Simile

The word“simile”comes from Latin word“similis”,meaning“like”.A simile is a figure of speech which makes a comparison between two unlike elements having at least one quality or characteristic in common.Simile is almost always introduced by the following words:like,as,as…as,as it were,as if,as though,be something of, similar to,etc.It means direct comparison,which is widely used in the Chinese prose.In English,simile is also an important technique.

In most of the translation,Zhang Peiji keeps the original rhetoric.He used the same tenors and vehicles.For example,

(15)还有那些碧绿的海草，长的像秀发，又美又可爱

[15]As well as some lovely green seaweed as delicate as human hair

(16)由妙高峰到小亭的这一段路，特别美丽，两旁的槐树像仙女似的临风飘舞，雪白的花，衬在翠绿的树叶下更显得清秀、纯洁

[16]The scenery all the way from the Miao Gao Mountains to the small pavilion was particularly fine,with locust trees on both sides dancing in the wind like fairy maidens and their pretty snow-white flowers set off by emerald-green leaves appearing all the more dainty and pure

(17)傍午的时候，雾变成了牛毛雨，像帘子似的老是挂在窗前

[17]About noon the fog turned into a fine misty rain like a curtain hanging still at the window

(18)回头望望被笼罩在黑暗下的长沙城，像一座寂静的古堡

[18]I saw Changsha lying still in the darkness like an ancient castle

In these cases,the foreign readers and the Chinese readers have the common understandings about the hair,fairy maidens,curtain,and an ancient castle,which exist in both the English culture and the Chinese culture.Therefore,Zhang Peiji kept the vehicles.

But sometimes he would change the vehicles.Because of the different culture, the foreigners can not have a good understanding about some Chinese traditional concepts.If the writer used these vehicles,the translators should change it into other expressions.For example,

(19)凉云散了，树叶上的残滴，映着月儿，好似萤光千点

[19]The rain clouds had vanished and the remaining raindrops on the tree leaves glistened tremulously under the moonlight like myriads of fireflies In the first example,“萤火”means“the light of the fireflies”.But if it was transliterated into“like myriads of the light of the fireflies”,it’ll be redundant rather than brief.

There are also some examples that he translates the simile into metaphor.For

example,

(20)书房里格外显得清寂，那窗外蔚蓝如碧海似的青天，和淡金色的阳光

[20]One day,when the sky was a sea blue,the sunlight a light gold and the sweet scent of acanthus flowers fitfully wafted over on the breeze,our study seemed all the more cheerless and quiet

Instead of translating as“the blue sky is like the blue sea,”Zhang Peiji translated into“the sky was a sea blue”.Thus it not only avoided reiteration,but also made it unusual.

These three ways reveal that simile sentences can be translated through all kinds of ways,which can keep the original meaning as well as the literary beauty perfectly.

3.2.2Metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech where comparison is implied.It is also a comparison between two unlike elements with a similar quality.But unlike a simile, this comparison is implied,expressed without the word“as”or“like”.Some metaphor can be translated literary,for example,

(21)松林中射来零乱的风灯，都成了满天星宿

[21]Lights from hurricane lamps flickering about in the pine forest created the scene of a star-studded sky

Because of the differences between Chinese culture and English culture, metaphor can be a barrier in translation,as the traditional tenors and vehicles in one culture do not exist in the other.For example,

(22)闽江正在上潮，受着月亮，成为水银的洪流

[22]I was amazed to see the surging tidal water in the River sparkling like silver in the moonlight

In the example,if“成为水银的洪流”was translated into“become the river of silver”,even though it is translated literary,it’s not in line with the English habits.So here Zhang Peiji used simile rather than metaphor.But sometimes it’s better to give up rhetoric than saving it,which will make it more understandable.For example,

(23)先走到老龙潭，看着被晚风吹皱的湖水

[23]Usually,we would first go to the Lao Long Lake to take a look at its water rippling in the evening breeze

With these methods,all of the three examples can convey the original meaning very well.

3.2.3Parallelism

As an important rhetoric device,parallelism is usually used to emphasize and strength the rhythm.Thus,in translation,parallelism becomes an obstacle,because it’s hard to translate the rhythm as the original.For example,

(24)它展着笔直的翅膀，掠过苍老的树枝，掠过寂静的瓦房，掠过皇家的御湖，环绕灿烂的琉璃瓦

[24]With its straight wings spread out,it swept past sturdy old trees,quiet tile-roofed dwellings and lakes of imperial gardens,and circled over dazzling glazed tiles

Zhang Peiji gave up the rhythm to put the meanings and habits in the first place, for it’s hard to keep the rhythm avoiding the repeating.But sometimes the rhythm can be kept.For example,

(25)在南方每年到了秋天，总要想起陶然亭的芦花，钓鱼台的柳影，西山的虫唱，玉泉的夜月，潭柘寺的钟声

[25]When I am in the South,the arrival of each autumn will put me in mind of Peiping's Tao Ran Ting with its reed catkins,Diao Yu Tai with its shady willow trees, Western Hills with their chirping insects,Yu Quan Shan Mountain on a moonlight evening and Tan Zhe Si with its reverberating bell

The reason why this version can keep the rhythm is that instead of some sentences,this parallelism only includes some phrases so that the problem can be solved with non-predicate verb.

3.2.4Personification

Personification is a figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions