翻译工作坊.docx

翻译工作坊.docx

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翻译工作坊

翻译工作坊

之

中国典故选介与英译

HistoricalChineseTales,etc.andTheirEnglishTranslation

Section1ChineseHistoricalTales

1.FishtheSameWayasJiangTaigongDid,WhoCasta

HooklessandBaitlessLinefortheFishThatWantedtoBe

Caught

（TheWayJiangTaigongfishes---toCatchOnlyThose

WhoAreWillingtoBeCaught）

JiangTaigongisapopularnameforJiangZiya,statesmanandstrategist.AsanadviserofKingWenoftheZhouStateinancientChina,he,attheageof80,helpedtheyoungKingWuoverthrowtheShangDynastyandestablishtheZhouDynasty.

JiangwasaseniorofficialduringthereignofKingZhouoftheShangDynasty.Sincethekingwas

muddleheadedandatrocious,andthemasseshadnomeanstolive,JiangresignedandlivedinseclusionontheshoreoftheWeiRiver.TheStateZhouwasstrongandprosperous.ThereJiChang（KingWenoftheZhouState）

wascourteoustothewiseandcondescendenttothescholarly,rulingthestatewithbenevolenceanduprighteousness.Hehadlongbeeninsearchofavirtuousassistant.OnedayJiChangwenttohuntonthenorthernshoreoftheWeiRiver.Hesawanoldmanfishingbytheshorewho,obliviousofsomanypeoplepassingby,continuedtofishquietly.ThatwasJiang.Itwassaidhewasover70then.JiChangfeltcurioussohesteppeddownfromthechariotandwalkedtotheoldman,onlytofindtheman‘sfishhookwasnotbent,impossibletogetanyfish.Realizingthismanwasnotacommonone,JiChangbegantochatwithhim.Hefoundthiswastherightmanhewasinquestof,sohesaid,―Beforehedied,mygrandfatherhadanticipatedthatZhouwouldbecomeprosperouswhenasagecametous.YouarethesageI‘vebeenlookingfor.Mygrandfatherhadlongexpectedyourarrival!

‖SohecalledhimTaigong.HereturnedwithTaigong,sharinghiscarriagewithhim,andtreatedhimashismentor（导师;顾问;国师）.TaigongassistedJiChang.

TheWesternZhoubecamemoreflourishing,sothepeopleofotherstatescameoverandpledgedallegianceoneafteranother.AfterJiChangpassedaway,hissonJi

Fa（KingWu）succeededtothethrone.WithJiangShang‘sassistance,JiFametthesovereignsoftheotherstatesinMengjinandthentheytogethersentanarmytocrusadeagainstZhou.Asaresult,KingZhouoftheShangDynastyburnedhimselftodeath.AfterthedownfalloftheShangDynasty,JiFaestablishedtheZhouDynasty.KnownasKingWuinhistory,hehonoredhisfatherwiththeposthumoustitleofKingWen.

**ChineseVersion:

1.姜太公钓鱼

民间有句俗话，叫做“姜太公钓鱼——愿者上钩”。

这句话来自

于一段历史故事。

据史料记载:

姜太公名叫姜尚，字子牙，东海（今

山东省日照市东）人。

因其始封于吕，故以封地为姓，又称吕尚。

商

纣王时，姜尚曾任朝廷大夫。

因目睹纣王昏庸残暴，百姓民不聊生，

遂辞官隐居于渭水之滨。

当时位于西部的诸侯国周国国力强盛，西伯

姬昌（即周文王）礼贤下士，仁义治国，老百姓安居乐业。

但长期以来，

姬昌一直未能遇到一位贤德的辅佐。

一天，姬昌乘车去渭水北岸打猎。

在渭水边上，姬昌看见一个老者在岸边垂钓，大队人马走过，老者充

耳不闻，仍然是静静地钓鱼。

这位老者正是姜尚，传说当时已经70

岁了。

姬昌觉得奇怪，就下车来到老者跟前，却发现老者钓鱼的鱼钩

是直的，根本就钓不上鱼来。

姬昌知道老者是一位奇人，就跟他聊了

起来。

经过一番谈话，姬昌发现这位老者正是自己要找的人，于是高

兴地说:

“我祖父在世的时候曾对我说过:

‘将来会有一奇人帮助你

把周族兴盛起来。

’您正是我要找的人。

我的祖父盼望您已经很久了。

”

因此古代文献中又称姜尚为“太公望”或“姜太公”。

于是，姜尚跟

随姬昌来到西周，被封为国师。

他辅佐西伯推行新政，西周愈加强盛，

周边诸侯国的人民也都纷纷归顺西周。

西伯去世后，其子姬发（即周

武王）继位。

在姜尚的辅助下，姬发在盟津大会诸侯，随后兴兵伐纣，

商纣王自焚而死，商朝灭亡。

姬发建立了周朝，史称周武王，追封其

父西伯姬昌为周文王。

周朝建立以后，姜尚被封到齐地，建都营丘（今

山东省淄博市临淄区齐陵镇附近），齐国后来成为诸侯国中的强国。

***ConceptsofTranslationTheory:

Accuracy

Accuracyreferstopreservingthemeaningoftheoriginaltext.Thetermaccuracyisessentiallysynonymouswiththetermfaithfulness,butsome

translationtheoreticiansdifferentiatebetweenthetwoterms.Atranslationwhichisaccurateisfaithfultotheintendedmeaningoftheoriginalauthor.

Audience

Audiencereferstothosewhohearorreadsomething.Translatorsmustbewellawareofwhotheiraudienceis,

tobemosteffectiveintranslation.Theymusttranslatefortheiraudience,usingvocabularyandgrammaticalpatternswhicharewellunderstoodbythataudience.

Clarity

clear,easytounderstand,lucid,Thequalityofbeing

freefromunnaturalformsorexpressionswhichhinderunderstanding.Clarityisoneofthethreemostimportantqualitiesrequiredofagoodtranslation,theothertwo

accuracyandnaturalness.being

****TranslatetheUnderlinedPartsintoEnglish:

*2.XiangruReturnedtheJadeIntacttotheZhao

State

WhenKingHuiwenwasrulingtheStateofZhao,hewasfortunateenoughtoacquireapieceofjadediscoveredbyBianHeoftheStateofChu.Hearingthis,KingZhaooftheStateofQinsentalettertotheKingofZhao,offeringfifteencitiesinexchangeforthetreasure.TheKingimmediatelysoughtcounselwithGeneralLianPoandhisministers,confessingthathewasworriedhemightthuslosethejadefornothingiftherulerofQin

brokehiswordandrefusedtogivehimthecities,andontheotherhand,ifhedidnotletthejadego,QinmightcometoattackZhao.Muchdiscussionwenton,butthematterwasnotsettled.Atthattime,LinXiangruwasrecommendedtotheKing.HetoldtheKinghewaswillingtobethemessengerandescortthejadetoQin.TheKingofZhaodispatchedXiangrutoQinwiththejade.Onarrival,XiangruwasreceivedbytheKingofQininChangtaiPalace.XiangruofferedthejadetotherulerofQinwhowasgreatlypleased.Heshoweditroundamonghispalacemaidsandattendants.Thecourtiershailedandapplauded.SeeingthattheKingofQinhadnointentionofgivingthepromisedcitiestoZhao,Xiangrusteppedforwardandsaid,―Thejadehasflaws.PleaseletmeshowittoYourHighness.‖TheKingofQinhandedthejadeovertoXiangru,who,withthestoneinhand,retreatedafewstepstoleanonacolumn,andingreatfuryrebukedtheKing‘sperfidy（背信）andaddressedhim,―IfYour

Highnesschoosestoputpressureonmetosubmitit,Iwillimmediatelyknockboththestoneandmyheadagainstthiscolumn,andbreakboth.‖Afraidthathewasgoingtosmashthejade,theKingofQinmadeanapology

andentreatedXiangrunottodoso.Then,hesummonedtheofficialconcernedtoreadthemapofQintoXiangruandmarkofffifteencitiestobegivenovertoZhao.Beingacautiousman,XiangruhadanotionthattheKingofQinwasonlyplayingatrick,pretendingtomakeZhaoagiftofthecities,butnotintendingthatZhaoshouldactuallyobtainthem.SohesaidtotheKingofQinseriously,―HeshiJadeisknownbyalltobeatreasure.ThatZhaohasofferedittoQinisoutoffear.SinceourKing,whenhesentthejadetoyou,fastedforfivedays,itisonlyproperthatYourHighnessshoulddolikewiseand,later,performasolemnceremonyofreceptioninthemainpalace.OnlythendareIofferthejadetoyou.‖Realizing

thatafterallhecouldrobitfromXiangrubyforce,theKingofQinpromisedtofastandorderedXiangrutobelodgedintheguesthouse.ConsideringagainthattheKingofQin,althoughhehadpromisedtofastandmightactuallydoso,wasanyminutereadytogobackonhiswordsandrefusetogivethecities,XiangruaskedhisattendanttodisguisehimselfasacommonerbyputtingonacoarsehempcoatandtoreturntoZhaowiththejadebyashort-cut.

**ChineseVersion:

2.完璧归赵

据《史记》卷八十一《廉颇蔺相如列传》记载:

蔺相如是赵国人，是赵国宦者令缪贤的门客。

赵惠文王得到了一件宝贝——和氏璧，秦昭王听说后，派人送给赵王一封信，称愿意以15座城池交换和氏璧。

当时秦国强大，赵国弱小。

赵王既怕上当受骗，又怕秦兵来攻。

这时，有人向赵王推荐了蔺相如。

于是，赵王就派遣蔺相如带着和氏璧前往秦国。

秦王在章台接见了蔺相如。

蔺相如将和氏璧敬献给秦王，秦王非常高兴，并将璧传给侍列左右的美人和大臣观看。

蔺相如见秦王丝毫没有给赵国城池的意思，便机智地走向前去对秦王说:

“璧上有处瑕疵，请指给大王看。

”秦王信以为真，便将璧交给了蔺相如。

蔺相如拿到璧后，后退了一步站在一根柱子旁边，怒斥秦王不讲信义，并警告秦王:

“如果你一定要来抢璧的话，那么，我的头和这块璧，今天就都撞碎在这根柱子上。

”并拿着璧瞅着柱子，做出要击碎璧的样子。

秦王怕和氏璧被摔碎，只好让有司拿过地图来，指着地图说从这里到这里15座城池都给赵国。

蔺相如估计秦王只是做个样子而已，赵国其实得不到城池。

于是又对秦王说:

“赵王献璧的时候，曾经斋戒5日。

现在大王也应该斋戒5日，我才敢把璧献给你。

”秦王无可奈何，只好答应斋戒5日，并安排蔺相如住进了迎宾馆。

当天晚上，蔺相如让随从换上百姓的衣服，将和氏璧藏在怀里，从小路逃回赵国。

秦王斋戒结束后，不见玉璧，大怒，欲杀蔺相如，但最后还是放了他。

蔺相如回到赵国后，赵王以其不辱使命，加封他为上大夫。

长期以来，

人们一直把这个故事作为爱国主义教材。

***ConceptofTranslationTheory:

Context

Contextreferstotheenvironmentorsettinginwhichanutteranceoccurs.Therearevariouscontextswhicharecrucialforatranslatortobeawareof.Theimmediatelinguisticcontextconsistsofwords,phrases,andsentenceswhichsurroundtheutteranceinquestion.Thisisdiscourseortextualcontext.Thelinguisticcontextalsoincludesthesituationalcontext,thatis,thesocialcontextinwhichtheutterancewasmade.Thisincludestheidentityofspeakerandaddressee,theirrelationship,andthepurposeoftheutteranceinthemindofthespeaker.Thissocialcontextistheconcernofpragmatics.

Ultimately,thepragmaticcontextalsoincludesthetime,

place,andcultureinwhichtheutterancewasmade.Soatranslatormustbeawareofthehistorical,

anthropological,andsociologicalenvironmentinwhichtheutteranceheistranslatingwasmade.

****TranslatetheUnderlinedPartsintoEnglish:

*3.ToTieone'sHairontheHouseBeamandJabOne'sSidewithanAwltoKeepOneselfAwake—Take

GreatPainswithOne'sStudy

（TyingOne‘sHairontheHouseBeamandJabingOne‘sSidewith

anAwl）

TheallusioncomesfromTaiPingYuLanand

StrategiesoftheWarringStates.In―Biographiesof

VirtuousPersonsoftheChuState”inthebookTaiPing

YuLan,ZhangFangrecords:

IntheearlyHanDynasty,amannamedSunJingwhowaseagertolearnoftenstudiedlateatnight.Whenhefeltsleepy,hetiedhishairtotheroofbeam,so,whenhedozedhewouldfeelpainandwokeupwhenhishairwaspulledupwardbytherope.Thenhewouldgoonwithhisstudy.InVolumeOneofAnecdotesoftheQinStateinStrategiesofthe

WarringStatesthereisanotherstoryasfollows:

SuQinfeltsleepywhenhewasreading,sohetookanawlandstabbeditintohisownlegs.Thebloodflewtohisfeet.Nowpeopleoftenpraisewiththisallusionthosewhogrindawayattheirstudies.

**ChineseVersion:

3.悬梁刺股

据《太平御览》卷六一一晋张方《楚国先贤传》记载:

汉代的孙

敬勤奋好学，有时晚上看书打瞌睡，他就将头发悬挂在屋梁上，强迫

自己学习。

又据《战国策?

秦策一》记载:

苏秦也是一位好学之士，

有时读书时间长了，难免昏昏欲睡，他就拿锥子刺自己的大腿，以至

于血都流到脚上。

后世用“悬梁刺股”一词来比喻勤学苦读。

***ConceptsofTranslationTheory