左哈尔的Polysystem Theory(多元系统理论)

1、Chapter 5,Polysystem Theory,Introduction of Itamar Even-Zohar,Professor Emeritus of Culture Research, of University of Tel Aviv,Cultural theorist, not a translation theorist. One of forerunners of translation studies,Itamar Even-Zohar (Picture taken 1993,Santiago de Compostela),Command a working kno

2、wledge of : Hebrew (mother tongue), Arabic, English, French, Swedish, Spanish, Norwegian, Danish, Italian, Russian, German, Icelandic, and a few other languages.,System Polysystem,System: This concept is introduced by Tynjanov. Elements, Tynjanov argued, do not exist in isolation, but always in an i

3、nterrelationship with other elements of other systems.,systems,Literary structure Semi-literary structure Extraliterary structure,interrelated,deciding,Specific element function,System Polysystem,Even-Zohar adopted Tynjanovs concept of system. He developed the polysystem hypothesis while working on

4、a model for Israeli Hebrew literature. In a series of papers written from 1970 to 1977 and collected in 1978 as “Papers in Historical Poetics”历史诗学论文集, he first introduced the term “polysystem” to refer to the entire network of correlated system within society. Thus it is a global term covering all o

5、f the literary system, both major and minor existing in a given culture.,Polysystem,Literary System,Extraliterary System,Canonized form,Non-canonized form,esteemed discourses and genres: Poetry ,less worthy genres: Childrens literature Popular fiction ,Patronage Social conditions Economics Instituti

6、onal manipulation ,He is not specifically a translation theorist, but a cultural theorist. But his pioneering work continues to exert considerable influence on translation, particularly when studying translation in emerging cultures or cultures in crisis. His thinking about translations led him to s

7、ome of the most provocative hypotheses about literary system.,Polysytem with translation theories,“It is necessary to include translated literature in the polysystem. This is rarely done, but no observer of the history of any literature can avoid recognizing as an important fact the impact of transl

8、ations and their role in the synchrony and diachrony of a certain literature”. (Even-Zohar, 1978),Just as the philosopher Chomsky uses linguistics to study how the human brain function in his philosophy, Even-Zohar regards translated literature as an effective way to study how the polysystem pose ef

9、fect on translated literature. He believes through the analysis of the relationship of translated to original literary works, he could arrive at a better understanding of the nature of polysystem.,Polysytem with translation theories,Polysystem theory,Even-Zohar incorporated the data collected from h

10、is observations on how translations function in various societies. He developed an approach ”Polysystem theory” to explain the function of all kinds of writing within a given culture. His data showed that translated literature functions differently depending upon the age, strength, and stability of

11、the particular literary polysystem.,Polysystem determines the polysystem theory,Even-Zohar explored the relationship between the translated texts and the literary polysystem in three aspects:,Reclassifications of the position of translation within varying cultural systems. How texts to be translated

12、 are selected by the receiving culture. How translated texts adopt certain norms and functions as a result of their relation to other target language system.,Reclassification,Previous classification: All the translations were invariably classified as secondary system. The literary translation was co

13、nsidered secondary activity, mechanical, rather than creative, neither worthy of serious critical attention. Even-Zohar argued: It depends! Not all polysystems are the same. Such classification was inaccurate.,Polysystems of larger, older cultures,Anglo-American Czech in 19th ；我国清末明初 Translation ful

14、fills the need of a young literature to use its new language for as many different kinds of writing as possible. Since it cannot create all forms and genres, translated texts may serve as the most important for a certain amount time.,Three circumstances:Maintaining a primary position,2. When a liter

15、ature is “peropheral”, or “weak” or both.,i.e. Israel; the Low Countries；我国文革期间 They cannot produce all the kinds of writing a stronger, larger system canthus its inability to produce innovations and subsequent dependency upon translation to introduce precedent-setting texts. In such circumstances,

16、translated texts serve not only as a medium through which new ideas can be imported, but also as the form of writing most frequently imitated by “creative” writers in the native language.,Three circumstances:Maintaining a primary position,3. When a literature is experiencing a “crisis”, or turning p

17、oint.,i.e. North American in the 60s; 五四前后,文革后 Established literary models no longer stimulate the new generation of writers who then turn elsewhere for ideas and forms.,Why Israel attaches so much importance to translated literature?,Geographical crossroad,Israel,Intellectual contacts,Social force,

18、multilingualism,religion,economy,Western culture,Diplomatic force,Major literature,exiles,“Third World ”culture,Canon literary,Social crossroad,Historical force,Globalization of “Israelis situation”,The above situation is not only the Israel was in, but also all the nations on the earth are in. As t

19、he globalizations in commerce, culture and other aspects, no nation is an island. All the countries are at the crossroads, all are the center, and all are exposed to the poly-interactions. So highlight the importance of translation is crucial.,The future of the world may depend upon the accurate tra

20、nslation of one word. -Pall Engle To understand ones past, ones identity, an understanding of translation in and of itself is crucial; translation ceases to be an elite intellectual “game”, a footnote to literary scholarship, but becomes fundamental to the lives and livelihood of everyone in the ent

21、ire region (and maybe the world). -Edwin Gentzler,我国学者张南峰先生对“多元系统理论”在翻译学的建立方面所产生的影响也给予了极高的评价，认为：“在西方，令翻译研究取得学科地位并走到学术研究系统中心的，是多元系统理论以及其他文化学派的翻译理论和研究模式”。,In summary, Even-Zohar recognized both the “primary ”(creating new items and models) as well “secondary” (reinforcing items and models) importance

22、of translated literature in literary history.,Classification of the position of translation within caring cultural systems,How translated texts adopt certain norms and functions as a result of their relation to other target language systems.（翻译规范行为策略都是如何受其他相关系统影响的）,translated literature is itself a

23、system with primary and secondary positions occupied by different texts. Translation strategies depend on the position of translated literature within the polysystem.,Translated literature resumes:,A primary position:,Function: To introduce “new” to the receiving culture Results: 1.translators feel

24、freer to break the literature conventions of the receiving language; 2.Translated texts closely reproduce the original texts forms and textual relations. Translated text is often a more “adequate” match of the source text which may in turn lead to innovations to the recieving culture. 译本更接近原著,Transl

25、ated literature resumes:,A second position:,Function: To find ready-made models in the receiving culture. Results: 1.translators will stick to receiving cultures conventional models and they will confrom the original form in the source texts to pre-established norms in the receiving culture. 2.Trans

26、lated texts may revise or change the original texts forms and textual relations. Translated text will show lower degree of adequacy of the source text. 译本与原著差异较大,The position of translation influence on translation norms,Comments on Polysystem,Advantages: Even-Zohars polysystem theory demonstrates a

27、n advance in the development of translation studies specifically and translation theory in general. It is the integration the study of literature with the study of social and economic forces of history.,Comments on Polysystem,Advantages: 1. His attention and thought given to the role of translation

28、within a literary system , is traditionally ignored by literary theorists. 2. By expanding frequently on linguistic models or undeveloped literary theories, and embedding translated literature into a larger cultural context. 3. Even-Zohar opened the way for translation theory to advance beyond presc

29、riptive aesthetics.,Comments on Polysystem,Problems: 1. His work and hypnoses focused primarily upon the literary, the extraliterary was significantly absent from his analysis. 2. His tendency to overgeneralize and establish universal laws based on very little evidence which needs more analysis. literary theories, and embedding translated l