汉诗英译的难点及补偿策略

论文摘要

本篇论文应用了辜正坤教授的“最佳近似值”原则,探讨古诗英译的难点及变通补偿策略。中国古典诗词的翻译是一个很重要但相当难以探索的领域。其困难主要源于原诗的风格具有很强的个人色彩,在译作中难以充分的再现;中国古诗常常运用大量的意象与典故,这种文化的特质性难以甚至不可能移植到另一文化土壤;汉语和英语有着完全不同的音律方式,这一点几乎是不可译的;汉语重意合,英语重形合,若没有补偿手段,很难按字面直译。基于以上语言和文化的不同,很多人认为诗歌是不可译的。持可译论者认为人类的理性、情感和文化具有很大的相通性,且历史上不乏优秀的诗歌译作,这一切都可以证明诗歌是可译的。二者莫衷一是,很难判断孰是孰非。辜正坤教授基于历史上对诗歌翻译原则的回顾与总结,认为前人的译论都具有部分的适用性。他认为鉴于诗歌翻译的复杂性,不应该有一个绝对的标准,应根据具体的情况,设立具体的标准。由此,他提出了翻译的多元标准互补论和最佳近似值原则。本文从微观层面上剖析了汉诗英译的难点所在。在风格层面上:诗人强烈的个人色彩和译者对原文风格的不充分理解构成了翻译的障碍;在意象和用典层面上:同一意象在不同的文化中会产生不同的联想和心理感受,以及文化缺失现象,会构成翻译的障碍;在押韵的层面上:两种语言语音系统的差异和押韵方式的不同构成了诗歌在音韵方面上的不可译;在语法层面上:两种语言在形合与意合方面的差异,使得翻译中必须使用增删策略,才能清楚表达原译。随后,本文对具体的翻译难点提出了相应的补偿策略。比如,在意象与用典上,建议译者:转换原文意象;舍弃原文意象,对意象进行阐释;浅化原文文化色彩等;在音韵方面:无论是以押韵的方式还是用素体诗,只要能表达出原文的音乐性即可;在语法层面上,使用增删的手段补偿两种语言的差异,使译文符合译入语的规范。本人未对风格的翻译作出特别的论述,因为,只要各个微观层面处理得当,原文的风格会自然再现在译文中。最后,本文以《静夜思》的四种译本为例,具体阐述了如何利用最佳近似值原则来评估译文的得失。

论文目录

• Abstracts
• 摘要
• Chapter I Introduction
• 1.1 The Theme of This Thesis
• 1.2 Validity of This Thesis
• 1.3 Theories Applied
• 1.4 Research Methodology
• 1.5 Structure of This Thesis
• Chapter Two Literature Review
• 2.1 A Survey of Translation Principles in History
• 2.2 The Standard of “Optimal Approximation”
• 2.3 Three Schools of Poetic Translation Proposed by Xu Yuanchong
• 2.4 Compensation and Its Validity
• 2.5 Conclusion
• Chapter Three Why Classical Chinese Poetry Is Difficult to Translate But Translatable?
• 3.1 Difficulties in Poetic Translation
• 3.1.1 Difficulties in Translating Style
• 3.1.1.1 Style Is Always Idiosyncratic Which Is Hard to Reproduce
• 3.1.1.2 Insufficient Appreciation of the Original Style
• 3.1.2 Difficulties in Translating Images
• 3.1.2.1 Discrepant Association to the Same Image in Different Cultures
• 3.1.2.2 Cultural Default in the Poetic Image
• 3.1.2.3 Cultural Default in Translating Allusions
• 3.1.3 Difficulties in Translating Rhymes
• 3.1.3.1 Contrasts of the Chinese and English Rhymes
• 3.1.3.2 The Untranslatability of Rhymes
• 3.1.4 Difficulties Arising from the Linguistic Contrasts of Hypotaxis and Parataxis
• 3.2 On the Translatability of Poetry
• Chapter Four: Compensation Means Applied in Translating Classical Chinese Poetry into English
• 4.1 Compensation Means Applied in the Translation of Images
• 4.1.1 Converting the Original Image
• 4.1.2 Abandoning the Original Image
• 4.2 Compensation Means of Generalization Applied In the Translation of Allusions
• 4.3 Compensation Means Applied in the Translation of Sound Features
• 4.3.1 Substituting foot for Dun
• 4.3.2 Using Natural Rhythm
• 4.4 Addition and Omission Applied in Overcoming the Difficulties Arising From Parataxis and Hypotaxis Contrasts
• Chapter Five How to Use the Standard of “Optimal Approximation”to Evaluate Versions
• Chapter Six Conclusion
• 6.1 Conclusion
• 6.2 Possible Significance of This Thesis
• 6.3 Limitations of This Thesis
• 6.4 Further Study
• Bibliography