（英语语言文学专业论文）林语堂译作《浮生六记》翻译特点研究——从文化因素和译者主体性角度谈起.pdf

iii 林语堂译作浮生六记翻译特点研究 从文化因素和译者主体性角度谈起 研究生：李丽 林语堂译作浮生六记翻译特点研究 从文化因素和译者主体性角度谈起 研究生：李丽 导师：罗永现导师：罗永现 教授教授 韦汉韦汉 教授教授 专业：英语语言文学专业：英语语言文学 研究方向：翻译理论与实践研究方向：翻译理论与实践 年级：年级：2004 摘要摘要 本论文旨在从文化因素和译者主体性的角度分析研究林语堂的译作浮生六记的翻 译特点。 译本浮生六记是林语堂作为一名杰出翻译家的有力见证。此译作中处理文本中文 化因素的翻译策略和技巧是一个很好的翻译典范。通过选取含有文化因素的文本例子和对 其翻译方法的具体分析，我们发现林语堂灵活采取各种方法最为有效地向意向读者传递文 化信息并且填补文化空白。其中，这些方法既有归化的手段，也有异化的手段。 本论文同时指出了译者主体性的作用和重要性。通过发挥译者主体性，林语堂不但忠 实而较为全面地传递了原文中丰富的中国文化信息而且完整地保留了原作的风格和美的 意蕴。 文章首先简要介绍了原文文本和译者林语堂，然后综述了当前的翻译理论，其中尤其 介绍了文化翻译理论。在文章的主体部分第三章，作者通过引用译作中大量的例子，分析 了林语堂如何处理源文文本中丰富的文化信息，总结了他的翻译特点和风格。同时对于中 国文化和中华民族特点的补充也成为分析总结的支撑依据。第四章，作者着重介绍了当前 国内外翻译界对于译者主体性的研究现状，并且以此为依据具体分析了林语堂译者主体性 的体现。研究发现，林语堂的译者主体性是此译作的另外一大特点，而且发现译者主体性 和林语堂的个人经历和性格特点有着密切的联系。它们在很大程度上决定了林语堂的翻译 策略。文章结论部分是对上述发现的总结性陈述。 本文的意义在于给与我们在翻译含有文化因素的文本时所应采用的方法和技巧方面 一些启示，并且使我们认识到译者主体性的重要作用。同时，文章提醒我们有效地发挥译 者的主体性，不但需要掌握语言和文化，而且要注重陶冶情操和个人素质的培养。 关键词：林语堂， 浮生六记 ，翻译特点，文化因素，译者主体性关键词：林语堂， 浮生六记 ，翻译特点，文化因素，译者主体性 iv on the translation characteristics of six chapters of a floating life by lin yutang -from the perspectives of cultural elements and the translators subjectivity postgraduate: li li supervisor: dr. luo yongxian, prof. wei han grade: 2004 major: english linguistics and literature field of research: translation theory and practice abstract this thesis is a study on the translation characteristics of lin yutangs translation of six chapters of a floating life from the perspective of the way he rendered cultural elements in the source text and his subjectivity as a translator. six chapters of a floating life is a testimony to lin yutangs superb skills as a translator. it is a fine example of translation strategies and techniques in dealing with cultural elements in the source text. by choosing detailed examples that containing chinese cultural elements and analyzing their translation methods, we draw a conclusion that lin yutang had adopted different methods both foreignization and domestication flexibly with the goal of conveying to the target reader the original culture information to the great extent. it illustrates the function and importance of translators subjectivity. in his rendition of chinese cultural elements, lin yutang had skillfully adopted different methods with the aim to convey the rich cultural information to the reader as faithfully and completely as possible. also, he retained the original style and beauty of the source texts intact. to a great extent, he had achieved this goal. this thesis first begins with a brief introduction to the source text and the translators background, followed by a literature review of current translation theories and practices particularly that of cultural translation in translation studies. lin yutangs translation methods are taken up in chapter 3, the main body of the thesis. passages from lins works are cited to show how he handles the rich cultural information in the source text. the characteristics and styles of his translation are analyzed and discussed, as are the essence of chinese culture and the character of the people in support of the analysis. in chapter 4, a detailed analysis of lins subjectivity is carried out, based on the current state of the theories and studies of the translators subjectivity both home and aboard. it is demonstrated that lins translation is characterized by his subjectivity, which is closely connected with his personal experience and personal temperament. the conclusion sums up the research findings. the thesis is a case study of translation strategies and techniques as manifested in how cultural v elements are handled and how the function and the importance of the translators subjectivity are correlated. it also reminds us that the effective utilization of translators subjectivity requires both the knowledge of language and culture and the cultivation of personal qualities as a translator. key words: lin yutang, six chapters of a floating life, translation characteristics, cultural elements, the translators subjectivity ii acknowledgements i would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my supervisor dr. luo yongxian and prof. wei han. i am deeply impressed by their scholarly way of doing things. i have been benefited from their guidance during my writing of this thesis. their strong sense of responsibility and serious attitude towards academic research will always be an example for me to follow in my future work and study. my thanks also go to all the professors who taught me during the 3-year ma program and to the english department of guangxi normal university. im particularly grateful to my parents and my family members for their unselfish love and persistent support in my daily life and my study. without their love, i wouldnt have been lived so happy a life. my thanks also go to all of my friends who have encouraged me, helped me and shared with me both joys and sorrows in my life. 1 introduction lin yutang has been renowned for his translation of chinese literature into english. one of the most notable pieces was six chapters of a floating life by shen fu, a qing dynasty author, which was published in bilingual form in shanghai in 1935. the author wrote about the idyllic life with his wife yun, whom lin described in a preface as “one of the loveliest of women in chinese literature.” both the story and the translation received wide attention. the english translation of six chapters of a floating life best testifies lin yutangs translation ability. lin once said that he had proofread and revised the translation over ten times, not only by himself but also with the help of other people. and after it was published on british magazines, it has been warmly received both home and abroad. his renderings of a number of the chinese idioms that appear in the source text have become fixed entries in many dictionaries compiled in china. for example, there are “when the cup of happiness overflows, disaster follows” for “乐极灾生”and “beautiful lines in an embroidered case” for “锦囊佳句”. although translation studies then had not developed to the stage as the present day, lin yutang had already reached the highest standard according to contemporary translation theories. it is not a coincidence. we can only say that a master like lin yutang was talented and had cultivated great competency over the years. also only a man who is patriotic, rational and positive enough can stand out to be a spokesman for his motherland and country fellows. the present work is a case study of a master the art of translation. the thesis is structured as follows. chapter 1 offers a brief introduction to the source text and the translators background, followed by a literature review in chapter 2 of current translation studies, especially that of cultural translation. chapter 3, the main body of the thesis, discusses lin yutangs translation methods in detail, supported with examples from the translation containing chinese cultural elements in the source text. chapter 4 presents an analysis of lins subjectivity along the lines of venuti. the subjectivity of lin yutang as a translator will be approached from three aspects: the translators subjectivity in the translation process, the subjectivity of the translator with regard to the inter-subjectivity of translation between the author and the translator, and the translators subjectivity with regard to his cultural consciousness and reader awareness. we aim to see to what extent lin yutang has succeeded in achieving his goal of conveying the cultural elements of the source texts so faithfully and so idiomatically into the target language. lins translation techniques will be discussed and analyzed. by choosing examples and 2 analyzing them, we intend to find out the translation characteristics of cultural elements in the source text and the translators subjectivity that has functioned during the translation. in so doing we hope to contribute to the field of translation studies. 6 chapter 2 current translation theories 2.1 a critical survey of current translation theories the time from the 1960s to the early 1980s was a theory-amplifying period for the study of the theory and practice of translation in the west. most western scholars in the field agree that the 1976 conference in leuven, belgium marked the start of a new period for translation studies as an independent discipline. this can be summarized as follows. first, the perception of the connection between language and the extra linguistic phenomena was widened, as reflected in the emergence of the “descriptive translation studies” (e.g. of gideon toury and james holmes), the “polysystem theory” (e.g. of itamar even-zohar), socio-semiotic approach (e.g. of eugene nida), discourse analysis (e.g. of m.a.k. halliday), along with the further development of philological approach (e.g. of george steiner) and purely linguistic approach (e.g. of j.c. catford) (quoted in ma, 2006: 24). for example, during the 1970s, itamar even-zohar and gideon toury set out from the assumption that literary translations are facts of the target system. they theorize literature as a “poly-system” of interrelated forms and canons that constitute “norms” constraining the translators choices and strategies. they believe that there are three key factors that manipulate translation: poetics, ideology and patronage. the introduction of discourse analysis into translation drew another variable element, the reader, into the scene as a parameter in determining the reception of a translation product by intended audiences. it was argued that the ultimate purpose of any act of translation is for others to read, without which its value cannot be realized. therefore, the readers reaction to the translated text is a yardstick to the success of a translation product. but as a member of the society, the translators creative individuality and the historical-cultural environments he/she lives in certainly differs from one to another, which in turn will inevitably exert influence on his/her work, while those of the reader are even harder to measure or determine in the process of value evaluation and realization of translation. but from this argument we can see the importance both of the translator and the reader when assessing a translation work. also a communication theory of translation was developed as a broader approach to analyze the problems and the process of interlingual exchange. this approach is primarily defined and discussed at length in newmarks approaches to translation (1981). in this work, translation problems are treated in two ways: semantical and communicative, and the role of the receptor is highlighted as the target in the process of communication. these assumptions are developed and revised in a later work (newmark 1988), with the focus of interest shifted to the literal approach and to practical translation problems rather than a “remote” theoretical discussion of the 7 philosophy and the psychology of translation. newmarks major contribution is in his detailed treatment of semantic versus communicative translation, where he suggests the basic elements of translation be treated in terms of a theory of communication. while semantic translation focuses primarily on the semantic content of the source text, communicative translation lays stress essentially on the comprehension and response of receptors. such diverse approaches are especially relevant when the diverse and numerous types of text are taken into count. as interchange between theory and practical continued, the communicative approach to translation began to be seen as lacking in breadth in that it has not provided a sufficient basis for understanding the nature of linguistic signs on all levels of discourse, nor does the communication theory provide adequate insight into the relationship of language to culture. in nidas socio-semiotics and socio-linguistics based approach, special interest is devoted to the close relationship between social behavior and language use and their importance in translation, which widens the coverage of a translation theory to include cultural aspects besides linguistic and communicative ones. “functional/dynamic equivalence” is the core of his theory, and the translation process has been defined on the assumption that the receptors of a translation should comprehend the translated text to such an extent that they can understand how the original receptors must have understood the original text. generally speaking, translation studies in the last two decades of the 20th century have undergone two major shifts of emphasis. the first views translation under the influence of communication theory while the second sees translation as an activity under the impact of culture studies. cultural translation is a term used informally to refer to types of translation which function as a tool for cross-cultural or anthropological research, or indeed to any translation which is sensitive to cultural as well as linguistic factors. such sensitivity might take the form either of presenting tl recipients with a transparent text which informs them about elements of the source culture, or of finding target items which may in some way be considered to be culturally “equivalent” to the st items they are translating. thus a translator who uses a cultural approach is simply recognizing that each language contains elements which derived from its culture, that every text is anchored in a specific culture, and that conventions of text production and reception vary from culture to culture (koller 1979/1992:59-60) (quoted in shuttleworth and cowie, 2004: 35). 2.2 language, culture and translating when one is learning a language, one is at the same time learning the culture of a certain language community. there is a close relationship between language and culture. and there is a 8 succinct definition of culture as “the totality of beliefs and practices of a society,” (nida, 1993: 105) so nothing is of greater strategic importance than the language through which the beliefs of the speakers are expressed and transmitted and by which most interaction of its members takes place. “culture” seems to be a term that has a long and varied history, which defies easy definition, and which has become less and less explicit but more and more encompassing. it can be added that the difficulty in grasping its sociological/humanist meanings is further complicated by a number of factors. one of them is that a culture as “a whole way of life” in the ethnographic sense is not a static entity. it is constantly changing and evolved under the impact of events and as a result of contact with other cultures. and changes in culture often give rise to new types of discourse, e.g. technical prose, financial reports, and new resumes. the popularity of certain types of discourse may also reflect cultural concerns. we can see that language and culture are dependent on each other. therefore, in order to be bilingual in the real sense, one also needs to be bicultural. bilingual competence has almost always been regarded as an essential requirement for translators, but this does not always mean that one must have an active competence in both the source and target language. for truly successful translation, biculturalism is even more important than bilingualism, since words only have meanings in terms of culture in which they function. personal involvement in a foreign society is very important in translating. only then can they successfully realize their role as interlingual and intercultural mediators. translator, as the expert communicator, is at the crucial center of a long chain of communication from original initiator to ultimate receiver of a message: a human link across a cultural frontier (chesterman, 1993: 74). lin yutangs experience of living in foreign countries and his academic achievements facilitated his successful translation work. as far as its basic definition is concerned, the major task in translation is to convert the cultural content from one language into another, so whether the translation is faithful or not largely depends on the extent of the translators grasp of the two languages, both in form and spirit, and the subtle difference of the cultural content expressed in the languages. thus, translation cannot but encounter the problem of culture and its representation. in speaking of literary translation, a literary work which is not so popular in its source language may become extremely popular in the target language simply because of the way the translator rendered not only the meaning of the original texts but also their cultural connotation and the cultural soil on which the work is received (wang, 2004:23). in the field of translation, the classification of cultural elements by the american translation theorist eugene nida has been widely accepted. according to him, translation problems, which are essentially problems of equivalence, may be conveniently treated under (1) ecology, (2) 9 material culture, (3) social culture, (4) religious culture, and (5) linguistic culture. (1964: 91).this kind of classification is general and practical when dealing with translation problems concerning cultural elements. compared with other kinds of abstract and theoretical definition and classification of cultural elements, this is much easier to comprehend and put into application. stephen dahl once divided culture to three different levels: the surface level, the middle level and the inner level (quoted in shang, 2005: 541). the surface level includes all kinds of social products such as language, food, architect, all sorts of craftwork, etc. the middle level incl