林语堂翻译理论

1、林语堂的翻译理论与实践,林语堂,Life and Works,Lin Yutang (October 10, 1895 March 26, 1976) was a Chinese writer and inventor. He was born in a small town in Zhangzhou, Fujian. His father was a Christian minister. His has shifted his faith from Christianity to Taoism and Buddhism, and back to Christianity .He obtai

2、ned his bachelors degree from St. Johns University in Shanghai , a masters degree in comparative literature from Harvard University , and a doctorate in linguistics from Leipzig,University in Germany(德国莱比锡大学). He has been celebrated as a Chinese author of books in English and known for his work as a

3、 linguist, philosopher, writer, traveler, and inventor. From 1923 to 1926 he taught English literature at Peking University. Urged by Pearl Buck(赛珍珠),he went to America in 1935 and soon published his first best sellers My Country and My People. Actually, his main countribution is writting, especiall

4、y writtings in English, not translation.,1940年纽约艾迈拉大学（Elmira College）校长给他颁授荣誉文学博士学位时，称赞他为“哲学家、作家、才子、是爱国者，也是世界公民”， “ by the magic of your pen, you have portrayed the soul of your great people to the people of the English speaking world in a way no person has ever done before. In doing so, you have sp

5、oken to the people of the English speaking world in their own language with an artistry that is at once their envy, admiration and despair.”,Lin is best known for his translation of Humor. His promotion of humorous literature won him the title of Master of Humor.,Translation works,英译汉： 1.国民革命外记 原著者待

6、查 2.女子与知识 罗素夫人原著 3.易卜生评传及其情书 布兰地司原著 4.卖花女(剧本) 萧伯纳原著 5.励志文集 马尔腾博士原著 6.新的文评 史宾冈、克罗斋、王尔德等原著,汉译英： 1. Six Chapters of a Floating Life, by Shen Fu, Rendered into English by Lin Yutang 浮生六记，清朝沈复原著 2. Chuangtse, 英译庄子 3. The Importance of Understanding: Translations from the Chinese 中国古文小品选译（又称古文小品）晋朝陶潜等原著,4

7、. Nun of Taishan and other Translations 英译老残游记第二集及其他选译 5. The Chinese Theory of Art: Translation from the Master of Chinese Art中国画论，译自国画名家 6. 冥寥子游 明朝屠隆原著,He creates a lot of famous novels in English, including his first successful book My Country and My People (吾国与吾民), and Moment in Peking ( 京华烟云 )

8、for which he was once nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature.,Parts of his works are adapted translations from Chinese classics, for example, his The Wisdom of Laotse (老子的智慧) is translated from Laotses The Book of Tao (道德经).,Apart from that, he translated and introduced a great deal of Chinese

9、 literature abroad, such as Six Chapters of a Floating Life (浮生六记) by Shen Fu (沈复) in the Qing Dynasty, making enormous contributions to dissimilating Chinese culture.,Translation Theory and practice,He wrote the essay On Translation and put forward the new criteria of translating“ Faithfulness, Coh

10、erence, Beauty.”,林语堂在论翻译中提出的翻译观： “faithfulness”,“expressiveness” and“ beauty 1.忠实标准： 林氏认为, 忠实的程度大致可以分为四等: 直译、死译、意译和胡译。 2.通顺标准: 以句义为先, 字义为后。与此同时, 林氏还提出句译理论, 主张翻译只能以句为主体的 句译, 不能以字为主体的字译。 3.美的标准: 翻译还有美的方面须兼顾。理想的翻译家应当将其工作当做一种艺术。以爱艺术之心爱它, 以对艺术谨慎不苟之心对它, 使翻译成为美术之一种。,他又从另一角度将这三条说成是译者的三种责任: 第一是译者对原著者的责任, 第二是

11、译者对中国读者的责任, 第三是译者对艺术的责任。三样的责任心齐备, 然后可以谓具有真正译家的资格。,In On Poetry Translation: advocates that in translating poetry，it is acceptable to use rhymes，but generally speaking，it is more advisable not to use rhymes. In his poetry translation，the rhythm inherent in a poem dominates over rhymes.,浮生六记 中林译与 Shir

12、ley 版本对比,例一：至乾隆庚子正月二十二日花烛之夕 (沈复) Our wedding took place on the twentysecond of the first moon in 1780(Lin Yutangl1) Five years were to pass before our wedding candles burned , at dusk, on the twentysecond day of the first month of the year of the rat一1780(Shirley MBlack),“花烛之夕”意为“举行婚礼”。“夕”虽然有 “傍晚”之意

13、，但在这个成语中只是一个笼统的时间 概念，并非确切的某个时间。林语堂提出“译者对 于原文有字字了解而无字字译出之责任。”因此，他对“花烛之夕”的翻译是“our wedding took place”，而Shirley MBlack将它译成“our wedding candles burned，at dusk”虽然Shirley MBlack将成语“花烛之夕”的每一个字都译了出 来，但是译文很可能给目的语读者造成误解：读者看 到“dusk”一词，不免联想到原来中国的婚礼总是在 晚上举行的。林语堂没有对“花烛之夕”字字对译但是，他的译文为目的语读者传达了该成语的确切 含义。,例二：正值太平盛世，且

14、在衣冠之家(沈复) The country was then in the heyday of peace and, moreover was born in a scholars family(Lin Yutang ) Mine was a fulldress familyone of scholars and gentle People(Shirley MBlack ),汉语中的“衣冠之家”是学者文人之家的意思， 所以，林语堂的译文是“a scholars family”；但是 Shirley MBlack将其翻译为“fulldress family，one of scholars and

15、 gentle people”她对“衣冠之家”的翻 译又是字字对译，与林语堂的翻译比较而言，语言显 得冗长。,Lets appreciate a poem,诗歌翻译中美的体现,声声慢 寻寻觅觅， 冷冷清清， 凄凄惨惨戚戚。 乍暖还寒时候， 最难将息。 三杯两盏淡酒， 怎敌他晓来风急?,Slow slow tune So dim，So dark， So dense， So dull， So damp， So dank， So dead The weather，now warm，now cold， Makes it harder than ever to forget! How can thin

16、wine and bread Serve as protection Against the piercing wind of sunset!,葬花吟 Taiyu Predicting Her Own Death 花谢花飞飞满天,红消香断有谁怜? 游丝软系飘春榭,落絮轻沾扑绣帘。 Fly, fly, ye faded and broken dreams Of fragrance, for the spring is gone! Behold the gossamer entwine the screens, And wandering catkins kiss the stone.,闺中女儿惜春暮,愁绪满怀无著处, 手把花锄出绣帘,忍踏落花来复去？ Here comes the maiden from out her chamber door, Whose secret no one shall share. She gathers the trodden blossoms lingeringly, And says to them her votive prayer. ,Thanks.,