MyUnderstandingofTranslationdoc.docx

MyUnderstandingofTranslationdoc.docx

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MyUnderstandingofTranslationdoc

MyUnderstandingofTranslation

BY

WangYuan

摘要

作为一门科学，翻译用语言对等再生产信息，同时，作为一门艺术，翻译也以另一种语言的修辞方法和表达方式再创造了文学作品，并且对不同国家和民族都产生了深刻的影响。

这篇论文将要讨论关于翻译的不同定义，介绍翻译在中国的历史，并列举出一些西方翻译理论。

关键词：

再生产,再创造,定义,历史,理论

Abstract

Translationreproducestheinformationoftheoriginalbylinguisticequivalenceasascience.Meanwhile,itrecreatesaliteraryworkbyrhetoricdevicesandexpressionsofanotherlanguageasanart.Itexertsaperennialinfluenceindifferentcountriesandethnicgroups.Thisthesisistotalkaboutdifferentdefinitionsandhistoryoftranslation.Besides,sometranslationtheoriesinthewestwillbelisted.

Keywords:

reproduce,recreate,definition,history,theory

CONTENTS

摘要……………………………………………………………………………........Ⅰ

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………Ⅱ

Chapter1Introduction…………………………………………………………1

1.1LiteratureReview………………………………………………………………1

1.2PurposeoftheStudy……………………………………………………………1

1.3FrameWorkoftheThesis……………………………………………………….1

Chapter2DefinitionsofTranslation………………………………………………2

Chapter3TheHistoryofTranslationinChina……………………………………3

Chapter4TranslationTheoriesintheWest……………………………………….4

Chapter5Conclusion……………………………………………………………6

BIBLICOGRAGHY…………………………………………………………………7

Chapter1Introduction

1.1Literaturereview

TranslationhadalonghistoryofmorethantwothousandyearsinChina.WrittentranslationappearedfirstlyinBuddhistscripturesintheEastHandynasty（25-220）.Eversincethefirstevidence,translationbroughtaboutdramaticsocialchangetoChina.LinKenanmentionedthat“ItissimplyunimaginablethatduringthelastdecadesChinacouldhavebecomewhatitistodaywithouttranslation.”（LinKenan,2007:

168）Coincidingwithindustrialdevelopmentinwesterncountries,thestudiesoftranslationdevelopedquickly.AccordingtoTanZaixi’smethods,thehistoryoftranslationinthewestconsistedoffiveperiods.Differentschoolsandindividualstriedtodefinetranslationandperfecttheoriesoftranslationfrommanyapproaches.

1.2PurposeoftheStudy

ThisthesistalksaboutsomedefinitionsoftranslationandthehistoryoftranslationinChina.Italsomentionssomenounsaboutrelatedtheoriesandschoolsinordertoexpressthecomplexityandsignificanceoftranslation.

1.3FrameWorkoftheThesis

Thisthesisiscomposedoffivechapters.Chapter1servesasabriefintroductiontothethesis.Chapter2focusesonsomedifferentdefinitionsoftranslation.Chapter3introducesthehistoryoftranslationinChinaandtheinfluenceitbroughtabout.Chapter4talksaboutthefiveperiodsoftranslationinthewest.Chapter5makestheconclusionandfurtherprospectsoflearningtranslationinfuture.

Chapter2DefinitionsofTranslation

OxfordAdvancedLearners’DictionaryofCurrentEnglishfourtheditiondefinedtheword“translate”as“toexpresssomethingspokenoresp.writteninanotherlanguageorinsimplerwords.InLongmanAdvancedAmericanDictionary,“translate”isto“tochangespeechorwritingintoanotherlanguage”Actually,theword“translate”comesfromtheLatinwordtranslatus.Translatusistheparticipleoftransferre,meaningmovingsomethingfromoneplacetoanother.TheLatinterm“trans”meansthechangeoftimeandspace,andtheterm“ferre”hassimilarmeaningwith“carry”or“endure”.

Obviously,translationisbynomeansasimpletask.AccordingtoCatford’swords,translationimpliestherenderingfromonelanguagetoanother.Itisthefaithfulrepresentationinonelanguagewrittenorspoken.Thetextualmaterialofthesourcelanguageisreplacedbyequivalenttextualmaterialofthetargetlanguage.Itisinfactthetransferofmeaninginsteadofform.Translationisnottofindsomewordswithsimilarmeaningandorganizethem.Itisaprocessoffindingwaysreaderscanacceptinanotherlanguage.

Therearedifferentdefinitionsoftranslationfromscholarswhoadoptdifferentapproaches.Forinstances,PeterNewmark,theprofessorofPolytechnicofCentralLondonsaidthattranslationisacraftconsistingintheattempttoreplaceawrittenmessageinonelanguagebythesamemessageinanotherlanguage.Bulhudarov,awell-knownRussianscholarontranslation,appointedthattranslationisaprocessinwhichaspeechinonelanguageisputtoanotherlanguagewithoutlossofmeaning.

Translatingconsistsinreproducinginthereceptorlanguagetheclosestnaturalequivalenceofthesourcelanguagemessage,firstintermsofmeaningandsecondlyintermsofstyle（Nida&Taber,2004:

12）

Inordertochangeaforeignlanguageintohisorhermotherlanguage,atranslatorhastobewellacquaintedwithtwodifferentcultures.Besides,atranslatorisarmedwithnecessaryprofessionalknowledge.

ThreeprinciplesputforwardbyTylerareasfollows:

“thetranslationshouldgiveacompletetranscriptoftheideasoftheoriginalwork;thestyleandmannerofwritingshouldbeofthesamecharacterasthatoftheoriginal;thetranslationshouldhavethesameeaseastheoriginalcomposition.”（LiKenan,2007:

182）

Aslanguagesarechangingandhumansocietyisdeveloping,atranslationonlyworksinacertainperiod.Iftimeschange,translationhastobechangedincaterfornewreadersandnewpublishsystem.Therefore,thedefinitionandrulesoftranslationwillbedevelopedconstantly.

Chapter3TheHistoryofTranslationinChina

InaccordancewiththeresearchdonebyLinKenan,thehistoryoftranslationinChinacanbedividedintofiveperiods.

TheearliesttranslationbeganduringtheEastHandynasty.Atthattime,theBuddhistscripturesbroughtthefirstwaveoftranslationinChina.ChinesescholarsandmonksfromancientIndiadevotedtheirlifetotranslatingplentyofBuddhistscripturesintoancientChinese.IntheinitialperiodofBuddhisttranslation,translatorslikeDaoAnformulatedsometheoriesoftranslation.Theyhadagoodcommandofboththesourcelanguageandthetargetlanguage.BuddhismwasintroducedintoChinathroughtranslationandexertedgreatinfluenceinChina.ThefoundationofChinesethoughtwasformedbytheBuddhism,TaoismandConfucianism.

Thesecondwaveoftranslationwasintheseventeenthcentury.TheIndustrialRevolutionbroughtdramaticchangestoEuropeanscienceandtechnology.NativeChinesetranslatorsandmanymissionariesfromWesterncountriesmadeagreatcontributiontomutualcommunication.

AftertheOpiumWarsofthe1840sthethirdwaveoftranslationcame.ThebourgeoisrealizedthattheyhadtolearnfromtheWest.SomescholarsengagedinrenderingforeignbooksintoChinese.YanFuwasarepresentativeofthattranslationmovement.HetranslatedEvolutionandEthicsandOtherEssaysbyThomasHenryHuxley,introducingDarwinismandrelatedsocialscience.ForthefirsttimetheChinesepeoplecouldknowtheformsofgovernmentsintheWestandfreetrade.Thistranslationmovementpavedthewayforthe1911revoutionthatoverthrewthefeudaldynastyinChina.

The1950sgavebirthtothefourthwaveoftranslation.AtthattimetheworldwasdividedintotwocampsandChinabelongedtothesocialistcamp.InordertofollowtheSovietUnion,translatorshadtorenderingpoliticalpamphletsintoChinese.Translationbecameatoolofservingthepurposeofimbuingpeoplewithcommunistthoughtandideals.

Sincethelate1970sChinahasbeeninthefifthwaveoftranslation.Thecurrentmovementismorecomprehensiveandeffective.Translationexistsineveryaspectsofhumanlife.Booksindifferentfieldsincludingliterature,economics,education,art,technologyhavebeentranslatedintoChinese.

ThefourpreviousstepscombinedandgavebirthtothefifthwaveoftranslationinChina.Atpresent,Chinesepeoplestillenjoytheconveniencebroughtbyeffectivetranslation.Meanwhile,theyarefacinggreatchallengesduetothecross-culturalcommunication.

Chapter4TranslationtheoriesintheWesternWorld

Inthewest,translationhasahistoryofmorethantwothousandyears.Translationhasbeenplayedanimportantroleinculturalcommunication.Itmakespeoplefromdifferentcountriesandethnicgroupsunderstandeachother,thusfacilitatethedevelopmentofhumancivilization.

TheChinesescholarTanZaixidividedthehistoryoftranslationinthewestintofiveperiods.Intheancientperiod,Cicero,agreatdebaterinancientGreek,wasthefirsttranslatorinwesternworld.HeinsistedthattranslatorswereactuallyspeakerswhoexpresstheideasinforeignbooksinawaythatRomanscouldaccept.Cicerodidnotadvocatefreetranslation.Inhisview,translatorstookresponsibilityofrepeatingthecontentoftheoriginal.St.Jeromeexplainedtheconceptofliteralanddynamictranslation.Heappointedthatreligioustranslationwasdifferentfromliteraryworks.

ThesecondperiodbeganfromthecollapseofRometotheRenaissanceMovementinthefifteenthcentury.ManliusBoethiusputforwardhisownideasoftranslation.Hethoughtatranslatorhadtochoosestyleorcontent.Noonecouldtranslatetheoriginaltextbythesamestyle.Translationfocusedonobjectivethings.Translatorshadtobefaithfultothesourcelanguage.

TheRenaissanceMovementbroughtaboutthethirdperiod.MartinLuthersaidtranslationwouldkeepcommunicationwithreadersandlisteners.Translatorscouldnotgoagainstthegrammar,butheshouldpaymoreattentiontothecontent.

Inthemodernperiod,JohnDrydeninsistedthattranslationwasanart.Thecharacteristicoftheoriginaltextcouldnotberemoved.Translatorscouldorganizedwordsfreely,buttheywerenotpermittedtochangetheoriginalmeaning.Schleiermacheremphasizedthatatranslatoroughttokeeptheoriginalstyleifhecouldtranslatecorrectly.

AftertheSecondWo