老师整理的翻译笔记.docx

1、老师整理的翻译笔记翻译理论知识概要第一部分：翻译术语1. Definitions of translationTranslation can be roughly defined as a reproduction or recreation in one language of what is written or said in another language. Being a very complicated human activity, its whole picture is never easy to describe. Scholars with different acad

2、emic backgrounds have attempted to define it from various perspectives.(1). Linguistic Views on TranslationTranslation theorists from the linguistic school conceive of translation as a linguistic activity and some believe that translation theory is a branch of linguistics, approaching the issues of

3、translating primarily from the viewpoint of the linguistic differences between source and target texts.Translation may be defined as the replacement of textual material in one language (the source language) by equivalent textual material in another language (the target language). (Catford, 1965: 20)

4、.Translating consists in reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source-language message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style. (Nida & Taber,1969:12).Translation theory derives from comparative linguistics, and within linguistics, it is mainly

5、an aspect of semantics; all questions of semantics relate to translation theory. (Newmark, 1982 /1988:5).(2). Cultural Views on TranslationIn the cultural approach, translation is regarded not only as a transfer of linguistic signs, but also as a communication of cultures, i.e. translation is an int

6、ercultural communication; hence the terms of intercultural cooperation, acculturation, and transculturation.Translation is a process which occurs between cultures rather than simply between languages Shuttleworth & Cowie,1997:35).A translator who uses a cultural approach is simply recognizing that e

7、ach language contains elements which are derived from its culture (such as greetings, fixed expressions and REALIA), that every text is anchored in a specific culture, and that conventions of text production and reception vary from culture to culture (Shuttleworth & Cowie1997:35).For truly successfu

8、l translating, biculturalism is even more important than bilingualism, since words only have meanings in terms of the cultures in which they function. (Nida, 2001:82).翻译不仅涉及语言问题,也涉及文化问题。译者不仅要了解外国的文化, 还要深入了解自己民族的文化。不仅如此, 还要不断地把两种文化加以比较, 因为真正的对等应该是在各自文化中的含义、作用、范围、感情色彩、影响等等都是相当的。翻译者必须是一个真正意义的文化人。人们会说：他

9、必须掌握两种语言; 确实如此, 但是不了解语言当中的社会文化, 谁也无法真正掌握语言(王佐良,1989)。(3).Literary Views on TranslationTranslators who hold this view believe that translation is an artistic recreation or a recreated art. Some modern Western scholars from the literary school take literary translation to be the manipulation or rewrit

10、ing of the source texts.文学翻译的任务是要把原作中包含的一定社会生活的映象完好无损地从一种语言移注到另一种语言中, 在翻译过程中追求语言的艺术美, 再现原作的艺术性。用茅盾的话说, 是使读者在读译文的时候能够像读原作时一样得到启发、感动和美的感受。语言是塑造文学形象的工具, 因而文学的形象性特征必然要在语言上表现出来。文学语言的特征, 诸如形象、生动、鲜明、含蓄、凝练、准确、风趣、幽默、辛辣、滑稽、悦耳、民族特点、地方色彩, 还有行业习语、民间的俚语、谚语等等, 都是作家根据塑造形象的需要, 从现实生活中提炼创造出来的。文学作品的艺术形式与思想内容是辩证统一的, 翻译要

11、保存原作风格特点, 因此要求译文生动形象、形神毕肖、雅俗等同、简洁精美、词情并茂(译学辞典2004: 291)。(4). Semantic Views on TranslationThis view focuses on the semantic equivalence between the two languages,as well expressed by Eugene Nida(1986):Translating means translating meaning.Translation is rendering the meaning of a text into another l

12、anguage in the way that the author intended the text (Newmark,1988:5).Semantic translation: the translator attempts,within the bare syntactic and semantic constraints of the target language,to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the author (Newmark,1982:22).In semantic translation, greater a

13、ttention is paid to rendering the authors original thought-processes in target language than to attempting to re-interpret source text in a way which the translator considers more appropriate for the target setting (Shuttleworth & Cowie,1997:151).(5).Functional Views on TranslationFunctionalists bel

14、ieve that translation is a specific form of human action with a certain purpose, a kind of linguistic service provided to the society.Translators should take into account the needs of the client, the reader as wellas the purpose or use of the translation:It is not the source text, or its effects on

15、the source-text recipient, or the function assigned to it by the author, that determines the translation process, but the prospective function or purpose of the target text as determined by the initiators, needs (Baker,2001:236).(6).Communicative Views on TranslationThis approach views translation a

16、s a communicative process which takes place within a social context.Communicative translation:the translator attempts to produce the same effect onthe target language readers as was produced by the original on the source language readers (Newmark, 1982:22).Communicative translation is generally orie

17、nted towards the needs of the target language reader or recipient. A translator who is translating communicatively will treat source text as a message rather than a mere string of linguistic units,and will be concerned to preserve source texts original function and to reproduce its effect on the new

18、 audience (Shuttleworth & Cowie,1997:21).The above views help us to understand the complex nature of translation. Since there are many factors which affect the translation process, translation is a complicated human activity.2. Translation Criteria Put Forward by Famous Translators or Translation Th

19、eoristsSome well-known translators or translation theorists at home and abroad have put forward criteria to judge the quality of a translation.(1). 严复 (1853-1921):Triple Principle of Translation信 (faithfulness): 忠实准确达 (expressiveness: 通顺流畅雅 (elegance): 文字古雅Yan Fu put forward this Three-character Gui

20、de” in his preface to the translation of T.H. Huxleys book Evolution and Ethics and Other Essays (天演论译例言 1898): 译事三难信达雅。求其信己大难矣。顾信矣不达。虽译犹不译也。则达尚焉.易曰修辞立诚。子曰辞达而已。又曰言之无文，行之不远。三者乃文章正轨。亦即为译事楷模。故信达而外，求其尔雅。此不仅期以行远已耳。实则精理微言。用汉以前字法句法，则为达易。用近世利俗文字，则求达难。往往抑义就词，毫厘千里。审择于斯二者之间，夫固有所不得已也。岂钓奇哉。.Translation has to do

21、 three difficult things: to be faithful, expressive, and elegant. It is difficult enough to be faithful to the original, and yet if a translation is not expressive, it is tantamount to having no translation. Hence expressiveness should be required too.The Book of Changes says that the first requisit

22、e of rhetoric is truthfulness. Confucius says that expressiveness is all that matters in language. He adds that if ones language lacks grace, it wont go far. These three qualities, then, are the criteria of good writing and, I believe, of good translation too. Hence besides faithfulness and expressi

23、veness, I also aim at elegance. I strive for elegance not just to make my translations travel far, but to express the original writers ideas better, for I find that subtle thoughts are better expressed in the vocabulary and syntax of pre-Han prose than those of the vulgar writings of today. Using th

24、e latter often leads to distortion of meaning, which, however slight, results in vast misunderstanding. Weighing the pros and cons, I opted for the former, as a matter of necessity, not trying to be different Yan Fus first two criteria of being faithful to the original text in content and being expr

25、essive in translation are generally acceptable, but his interpretation of elegance has aroused plenty of criticism because, in his opinion, one has to resort to the vocabulary and syntax of pre-Han prose to achieve elegance. Yan Fus criteria are also controversial for his emphasis on the equal statu

26、s of the three conflicing principles. Despite this, Yans criteria are still popular in China, but the interpretation of his criteria has changed. Nowadays to many translators, elegance implies the safe and sound preservation of the taste and shade of the original”(黄龙, 1988:90) or 运用读者所最乐于接受的文体, 使译文得

27、以广泛流传，扩大影响(劳陇，翻译通讯1983年第10期).(2). 鲁迅 信（faithfulness)顺（smoothness)翻译必须有异国情调，就是所谓洋气。其实世界上也不会有完全归化的译文，倘有，就是貌合神离，从严辨别起来，它算不得翻译。凡是翻译，必须兼顾着两面，一当然力求其易解，一则保存着原作的丰姿，但这保存却又常常和易懂相矛盾：看不惯了。不过它原是洋鬼子，当然谁也看不惯，为比较的顺眼起见，只能改换他的衣裳，却不该削低他的鼻子，剜掉他的眼睛(鲁迅全集第6卷，48页)。(3). 林语堂 忠实faithfulness)通顺(smoothness)美(beautifulness)翻译的标准

28、问题，大概包括三方面。我们可依三方面的次序讨论。第一是忠实标准，第二是通顺标准，第三是美的标准。这翻译的三层标准，与严氏的译事三难，大体上是正相比符的。我们并须记得这所包括的就是：第一、译者对原文方面的问题，第二、译者对中文方面的问题，第三、是翻译与艺术文的问题。以译者所负的责任言，第一是译者对原著者的责任，第二是译者对中国读者的责任，第三是译者对艺术的责任。三样的责任全备，然后可以谓具有真正译家的资格。(论翻译,林语堂名著全集,1995:306)(4). 傅雷:神似 (resemblance in spirit)以效果而论，(文学)翻译应当像临画一样，所求的不在形似而在神似。(高老头重译本序

29、，1951)(5). 钱钟书：化境 (reaching the acme of perfection)文学翻译的最高境界是化，把作品从一国文字转变成另一国文字，既能不因语文习惯的差异而露出生硬牵强的痕迹，又能完全保存原有的风昧，那就算得入于化境。十七世纪有人赞美这种造诣的翻译，比为原作的投胎转世(the transmigration of soul), 躯壳换了一个，而精神姿致依然故我。换句话说，译本对原作应该忠实得以至于读起来不像译本，因为作品在原文里绝不会读起来像经过翻译似的。(林纾的翻译，1964)(6). 刘重德：信（faithhlness）达（expressiveness）切（clo

30、seness)信于内容 (to be faithful to the content of the original);达如其分 (to be as expressive as the original);切合风格 (to be as close to the original style as possible).(浑金璞玉集，1994: 9)(7). 许渊冲：三重标准 (three levels of criteria) (翻译的艺术，1984: 26)标准低标准中标准高标准内容忠实(信)明确准确精确(三似)意似形似神似(三化)浅化等化深化形式通顺(达)易懂通顺扬长(雅,或传神)(8).

31、Alexander Fraser TytIer (泰特勒): Three Principles of TranslationAlexander F.Tytler, a famous British translation theorist, put forward the classical criteria in his Essay on the Principles of Translation (1790):1) The translation should give a complete transcript of the ideas of the original work (译作应

32、该完全传达原作的思想)；2) The style and manner of writing in the translation should be of the same character with that of the original (译作的风格与笔调应当与原作保持一致)；3) The translation should have all the ease of the original composition(译作应当和原作一样流畅).Tytler further points out that the above-said three principles are arranged and ranked according to the order of their significance, and that, when they are not simultaneously attainable, the fi