Source Language —— the Focus of Translation.doc

source language the focus of translation源语-翻译的焦点摘 要：翻译是把一种语言所表达的内容用另一种语言忠实地再现的过程。因此,译出语是翻译的基础。如何把译出语表达出来是翻译的焦点问题。本文通过对严复、泰特勒、奈达等中西翻译论史上有重要影响的人物的翻译标准的对比，得出一条共同的翻译原则：一切翻译都必须忠实于原文，即从原文的思想内容，文化特色，语言表达形式三个方面进行分析。同时，指出忠实于原文不等于逐字逐句的死译。 本文又讨论了忠实是相对的，有些场合也要做到通顺。翻译中有变与不变。不变是深层的“信息”、“意义”、“思维内容”等，变是表层的“语言形式”。忠实是人们追求的最高境界，但是不能为了忠实而忽视了读者的感受。因为一部译作是要为读者接受的，这样就要求在踏实的基础上做到通顺。 最后本文讲述了忠实与通顺的关系，并引用了背景的译本对两者的关系进行了分析。关键词：翻译； 忠实；通顺abstract：translation is a process that uses one language to express another language faithfully. the source language is the basis of translations existence, so the focus of translation is how to express the source language faithfully. this paper reaches a result through comparing the criteria of some important representatives in the world, such as yanfu, tytler and nida. the result is that all the translation should be faithful to the source language. this paper analyzes it in three aspects: the theme of the source language, the cultural background and the expressive style of the author in the source language. at the same time, it points out that faithfulness does not mean “translate work by word”. this paper also discusses that faithfulness is a relative term, sometimes the translators should pay attention to expressiveness. in translation, there are changed and unchanged things. the unchanged things mean “information”, “meaning” etc.; changed things mean the form of translation, “faithfulness” is the highest boundary that the translators pursuit, but can not oversight the feeling of readers that will read or understand the translated text, so the translators should take notice to “expressiveness” on the basis of “faithfulness”.at last, this paper discussed the relationship between “faithfulness” and “expressiveness”, and cites zhangpeijis version of translation for “beijing” to analyze their relationship. key words: translation, faithfulness, expressivenessoutlinei. introduction: how to understand “source languagethe focus of translation?a. existence basis of translationb. the purpose of translationc. the criteria of translationii. literature reviewa. yanfus threecharacter criterion of translation.b. alexander fraser tytlers translation theory.c. eugene a. nidas translation theory.d. the similarities among three representatives translation theories.iii. discussion: tow criteria for translationfaithfulness and expressiveness.a. faithfulness1. what is faithfulness?2. some theories in relation to faithfulness.3. how to realize “faithfulness”?a. the theme of source language.b. the cultural characters of source language.c. the expressive style of the author in source language.d. not equal to “translate word by word”.b. expressiveness.1. what is “expressiveness”?2. how to realize “expressiveness”?c.the relationship between “faithfulness” and “expressiveness”1. faithfulness and expressiveness is a dialectical unity.2. comment on zhang peijis english version of “beiying”iv. conclusion: in order to express the source language properly, the translators should follow two criteria of translation-“faithfulness”and “expressiveness”.i. introduction: how to understand “source languagthe focus of translation”?a. existence basis of translation translation is a process that uses one language to express another language faithfully. translation deals with the source language and the target language. so the translators should understand the differences between two languages. because of the differences between languages, the translation has its existence value. the source language is the basis of translation existence and the focus of translation. in order to convey the information of the source language, the translators should understand the original work deeply.b. the purpose of translation the premise of translations existence is the differences of languages and the need of social, political, economic communication. if there are no differences of language or people that use different languages dont need communication, the translation has no need to exist. in fact, because of the differences of languages and the needs of social, political, economic communication of world, the translation is a necessary work not only in modern society, but also in the ancient society. so we can see the purpose of translation is to deal with the language barriers in communication, let the people who use the target language understand the content that people who use the source language expressed, to realize the purpose of communication.c. the criteria of translation everyone who deals with the translations theory or practice will meet the problem of translations criteria which one should be chosen as the criterion of translation is a problem that should be solved not only by translations theory, but also the translation practice. now through the analysis of translations basis, purpose, it is easy to know what is important for translation, that is, to be faithful to the source language.ii. literature reviewa. on yanfus threecharacter criterion of translation1. the role of threecharacter criterion in 1898, yan fus set forth “faithfulness”, “expressiveness” and “elegance” as the criterion of translation in the preface to his translation work evolution and ethics, originally written by t.h.huxley, the famous british biologist. form then on, disputers over the threecharacter criterion have lasted for m9ore than one century. during this long period, succeeding generations of scholars in chinese translation circles aired their views on the threecharacter criterion. by carefully analyzing the three words one by one, some of the scholars were just partially for totally against this criterion, thus tried their best to replace yan fus threecharacter criterion with other criterion proposed by themselves respectively. but up to now, apart from yan fus three-character criterion, no other criterion has been widely accepted as the criterion for translation in chins. this is somewhat discouraging. but we cant say that all disputes over yan fus three-character criterion are meaningless and worthless. it is because of these constant disputes that people are knowing much more about translation, they are approaching, day by day, to the desired, more scientific criterion of translation which is bound to come into being some day in the future. for more than one hundred years the atmosphere in chinese translation circles has been surprisingly active and lively, remarkable achievements have been made in translation studies. i think we should attribute these to yan fus threecharacter criterion that has thrown light on the later translation studies in china. by analyzing some typical criteria of translation put forward by some scholars, which i think are delved from yan fus threecharacter criterion, we can see the important role yan fu has played by proposing the threecharacter criterion in the building of translation theories and the translating staff in china.2.yan fus main contribution yan fus threecharacter criterion has carried almost canonical force with succeeding generations of chinese translators and is endlessly referred to whenever practitioners pause to look into the principles that govern their art. but some scholars say that yan fus threecharacter criterion has been confining peoples thoughts on translation. through the above mentioned, i think this saying is unfair. lu xun once said yan fus translation is actually a miniature of the buddhist translation in the han and the tang dynasty. if xuns comment is right, then we may say that modern chinese translation studies have been influenced by theories on buddhist translation in ancient china. we may say that yan fus threecharacter criterion has played a role of carrying on the past and opening a way for the future. when marx discovered surplus value, angles appraised highly marxs discovery. he said: “the discovery to surplus value suddenly threw light on the problem in trying to solve which all previous investigations, of both bourgeois economists and socialist critics, had been grouping in the dark.” without yan fus threecharacter criterion of translation, scholars in chinless translation circles maybe are still grouping in the dark. it is yan fus three-character criterion that throws light on the translation studies in china. it is self evident that chinese translation studies may not have made as many achievements without yan fus highly summarization of “faithfulness”, “expressiveness” and “elegance”. and this is where yan fus main contribution lies in. b. on tytlers criteria of translation in 1790, tytler put forward his three criteria of translation in on the criteria of translation, the content are:i. a translation should give a complete transcript of the ideas of the original word.ii. the style and manner of writing should be of the same character as that of the original;iii. a translation should have all the ease of the original composition. tytler also pointed out he arranged the order of three criteria according to the degree of their importance, when they cannot unite, the translators should abandon third one, and then abandon second. c. on nidas criteria of translation1. brief introduction of nida and his works in china, both translators and translational theorists have been abiding by the triplet theory of translation: faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance. nevertheless, with the policies of “reform and opening to the outside world”, a series of translational theories have been introduced from foreign countries, among which are “dynamic equivalence”, “functional equivalence”, “message theory”, ad well as “readers response” advocated by eugene nida, father of translational theory in the contemporary united states of america. the aforementioned theories have, on the one hand, enriched the translationla theories in china and served as effective guide to the practical translation. nida had many words about translation, such as toward a science if translating (1964). the theory and practice of translation (1969), from one language to another: functional equivalence in bible translation (1986), science of translation (1969).2. nidas achievement of researcha. message of translation first, nida cited the message of information into the study of translation theory, in recent years, many linguaisticians of western countries studied translational questions by using linguistics message theory. for example: c. catford, p. newmark, and r. jakobson. nida thought that the translators should “adopt the scientific of dealing with the form of language, the analysis of meaning, and message theory to solve the translational problems”. translation is communication. if a version of translation cannot play a role of communicating, it is a useless one. so “the relationship between receptor and message in the translated text should be similar with those in the source language”. while because the road of message in which readers of the translated text understand the source language is more narrow than the readers of the source language, so the message of source language is very hard for the readers of the translated text to understand. under this kind of situation the translators must lengthen the form of expressing message in order to unite the roads of message between the source language and the readers of the translated text, that is, let the readers of the translated text understand source language easily. this form is useful for the different cultural background, the source language and the target language between different languages. for example: son, lover, thinker, fighter, leader, hamlet is the incarnation of all human potential defeated by some warp of human nature and destiny. 译文：作为儿子、情人、思想家、战士、领袖，哈姆莱特是些人本来可以享受天伦之乐、品尝爱情的甜蜜、在事业上作一番成就，由于人性和命运的作弄，终于含恨而死的象征。 english word “potential” can be translated into “潜力，可能性”in the echinese dictionary, in fact it means “that which is possible”, the meaning is very broad; “human potential” refers to “all the things that people and reach”. “all human potential” has a rich meaning when we think it connected with son, lover, thinker, fighter, leader, etc. . we get the above translation form love and career only according to the film. all in all, the message of the source language “all human potential” is a phrase that is short, but very difficult. if we translate it directly, it will not tally with the readers message road of china.b. dynamic equivalence in 1980s, nida changed his “dynamic equivalence” into “functional equivalence”. he thought the translated text “not only the equivalent content of message, but in so far as possible equivalent of the form”. to “functional equivalence”, nida put forward two aspects of translational equivalence in language culture and translating in 1993. he emphasized that socalled “equivalence” can divide into “maximal equivalence” and “minimal equivalence”. “maximal equivalence” means “the readers of a translated text should be able to understand and appreciate it essentially the same as the original readers did”. while in nidas opinion, this kind of translated texts cannot be realized forever, especially when the differences of culture and aesthetic value between two languages are too big. “minimal equivalence” means “the readers of a translated test should be able to comprehend it to the point that they can conceive of how the original readers of the text must have understand and appreciated it”. this is the lowest requirement, anything less than this degree of equivalence should be unacceptable. in the theory and practice of translation, nida definite translation as following: “translation consists in reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source language message, first in terms of meaning and second in the terms of style.” these three definitions, the closest, natural and equivalent, show nidas concept and attitude toward translation. he thought the things that were expressed in one language and be expressed in another language; among language and cultures, the translators can reform the source language and meaning structure, and search translational equivalence to communicate. but no matter intralingual translation or interlingual translation, there must be some differences between two different texts; it is impossible to be equivalent absolutely.d. the similarities among three representatives1. the same point of views for discussing the criteria of translation. yanfu, tytler and nida inspected the duty that the translation faces in three aspects: the theme of source language, the language expressing and style. in the theme of source language aspect, they are the same: yanfus faithfulness, tytlers “a translation should give a complete transcript of the ideas of the original work”, and nidas “in meaning aspect”; in the language expressing aspect: yanfus expressiveness, tytlers “a translation should have all the ease of the original composition”, and nidas “in target language using the closest natural equivalent of the source language”; in style aspect: yanfus “elegance”, tytlers “the style and manner of writing should be of the same character as that of the original”, and nidas “in style aspect”. these three factors cannot be absent in translation.2. put forward the similar requirement in three aspects in the theme aspect, the transnational text should be faithful to the source language; in the language expressing aspect, it should be closest, natural and equivalent; in the style aspect, it should keep the style of the source language.3. show the order of three aspects yanfus threecharacter criterion: faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance. faithfulness is the foundation. at the same time, tytler and nidas ideas are: when three aspects can not exist at the same time, first abandon the language expressing, then style, but must keep the theme of the source language. otherwise, it cannot be called translation. now one result can be reached after comparing the criteria of three representative, yanfu, tytler and nida, that is, all the translation should be faithful to the source language in three aspects: the theme of source language, the style and cultural background, and the expressive form of the author in the source language.iii. discussion: two criteria for translationfaithfulness and expressiveness.a. faithfulness1. what is faithfulness? what is faithfulness in translation? according to everymans encyclopedia, “the art of translation lies not only in conveying the literal sense from one language to another bit also in translating the feeling, thought, and character of the work, so that the finished translation is equal in quality to the original”(1) fidelity to the source language requires that a translator should take as few liberties with the original text as possible. he should not, generally speaking, add anything of his own to or subtract anything from the original. the ideal translation is to bring source language (sl) and target language (tl) into such coincidence as the translators skill allows. that is, to be faithful the translated version of a literary work should be equal in quality to the source language. the translator should not add anything that does not exist in the original or omit anything in his process of translation. faithfulness is the re-production in the target language of the equivalence of all features in the source language.2. some theories in relation to faithfulness. different opinions about faithfulness have occurred in the history of translation into chinese. the famous buddhist monk, xuan zh