2-The_Criteria_of_Translation

The Criteria of Translation

Literal Translation 直译

–

SL -oriented translation –Not to alter the original words and sentences; to strive to keep the sentiments and style of the original; sentence as the basic unit Key Terms:

Literal Translation vs Free Translation ?一国两制

?纸老虎

Key Terms:

Literal Translation vs Free Translation

Free Translation意译

–Known as sense-for-sense translation; TL-oriented translation

–to mainly convey the meaning and spirit of the original without trying to reproduce its sentence

patterns or figures of speech; alternative method

of literal translation

?It rains cats and dogs.

?Beef tea

Literal or Free Translation?

1）--Every life has its roses and thorns.

直译：

意译：

2）--I talked to him with brutal frankness.

逐词翻译：

直译：

意译：

Key Terms:

Faithfulness vs Smoothness

Faithfulness 忠实

?The content of the original work :The translator must bring out the original meaning both comprehensively and accurately without any distortion or casual addition or deletion of the original thought.

?Keep the original style , as Mr. Lu Xun put it, “keep the full flavor of the original work .”Sometimes even the original emotions or feelings such anger or distress , satire or irony , joy or happiness should not pass unnoticed.

Portia from The Merchant of Venice Tell me where fancy is bred ,

Or in the heart or in the head ?

How begot, how nourished?

告诉我何处是爱情的源泉？

是在脑海, 还是在心田? 告诉我爱生在何方，

是在脑海，还是在心房？

他怎样产生，又怎样生长？（朱生豪）

Gold ，silver ，lead ？Any suggestion?L ea d

金，银，铅？铅

Bassino

Key Terms:

Faithfulness vs Smoothness Smoothness 通顺

?Version must be clear and distinct, flowing and easy to read without signs of the mechanical word-for-word translation, of obscure and crabbed language, of grammatical mistakes, confused structure and turbid logic.

?Make the language forceful, clear and idiomatic. Different languages have different ways of expression. The translator must try to follow the custom and good usage of the languages used and not stick to the mode of expression of the original.

How to translate these?

1.Jack craned to see the coins in the well.

2.He fished out a coin for the boy.

3.He wanted to learn, to know, to teach.

Key Terms:

Foreignization vs Domestication Foreignization异化

A term used to designate the type of translation in

which a TT is produced which deliberately breaks

target conventions by retaining something of the

foreignness of the ST, eg. Lu Xun’s translations

?crocodile’s tears

? a stone two birds

Key Terms:

Foreignization vs Domestication Domestication 归化

A term used to describe the translation strategy in

which a transparent, fluent style is adopted in order

to minimize the strangeness of the foreign text for TL readers, eg. Zhu Shenghao’s translations, Eugene

Nida’s translation proposal.

?crocodile’s tears

? a stone two birds

Key Terms:

Foreignization vs Domestication Domestication 归化

A term used to describe the translation strategy in

which a transparent, fluent style is adopted in order

to minimize the strangeness of the foreign text for TL readers, eg. Zhu Shenghao’s translations, Eugene

Nida’s translation proposal.

--Spring, the sweet spring is the year’s pleasant king.

Foreignization or Domestication? --You’ve got to have a card up your sleeve,

otherwise you won’t succeed.

异化）

归化）

--In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king.

异化）

归化）

?

How long??How many climaxes??1. The translation of Buddhist Scripture ( the Eastern

Han -the Tang and Song Dynasty )

–支谦（东汉）

“天竺言语，与汉异音，……名物不同，传实不易。”–释道安（东晋）主张直译，“五失本”“三不易”–鸠摩罗什（南北朝）中国翻译史上主张全面意译第一人–玄奘（唐）“既须求真，又须喻俗。”

History of Translation in China

--2000 years --three climaxes

五失本：

1.梵文的词序是颠倒的，译时必须改从汉语语法；

2.梵经质朴，而汉人喜欢华美，要使读者满意，译文必须作一定的修饰；

3.梵经中同一意义，往往反复再三，译时不得不加以删削；

4.梵经于结尾处，要作一小结，将前文复述一遍，或一千字或五百字，译时也得删除；

5.梵经中话已告一段落，将要另谈别事时，又把前话简述一遍，然后再开始，译时则又必须删除。

三不易：

1.谓既须求真，又须喻俗。

2.谓佛智悬隔，契合实难。

3.谓去古久远，无从询证。

2. The Translation of works of science and technology( the late of

the Ming Dynasty -the early of Qing Dynasty)

–徐光启, 利玛窦《几何原本》Euclidis Elementorum

3.The translation of western classic works of politics, economy

and literature( the Opium War –the May the Fourth Movement )–严复信达雅

《天演论》Evolution and Ethics and Other Essays

《原富》An Inquiry Into the Nature and Cause of the Wealth of Nations –林纾近代翻译西方小说第一人（英、法、美、比、俄、挪威、瑞士、希腊、日本、西班牙等）

《巴黎茶花女遗事》《王子复仇记》

《黑奴吁天录》《块肉余生述》

Criteria of Translation

In West

?Alexander Fraser Tytler（18th C):翻译三原则

1) A translation should give a complete transcript of

the ideas of the original work;

2)The style and manner of writing should be of the

same character as that of the original;

3) A translation should have all the ease of the

original composition.

?Eugene A Nida(20th C):

Dynamic Equivalence动态对等

In China

?严复：信达雅faithfulness, expressiveness, and elega nce

?鲁迅：保存原作的风姿keep the full flavor of the original work

?林语堂：忠实、通顺、美faithfulness，

smoothness and beauty

?傅雷：神似spiritual conformity

?钱钟书：化境sublimation

?中国翻译思想的主线：

案本求信传神化境Literalness Faithfulness Spirituality Sublimation 释道安严复傅雷钱钟书

Assignment

?预习教程第一篇：英汉语言结构对比和翻译中的转换（P.9-56）

?重点：英汉语言的不同之处

?思考下列问题：

1. How many kinds of parts of speech are there in English / Chinese？

2. 英汉两种语言在词性的使用频率上有什么不同？造成

这种不同的原因是什么？

3. 英汉两种语言在句法结构上有什么不同？它反映了什

么语言现象？