黃玉霞
(太原師范學(xué)院外語(yǔ)系,山西太原030012)
《論語(yǔ)》中文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)的英譯
黃玉霞
(太原師范學(xué)院外語(yǔ)系,山西太原030012)
《論語(yǔ)》英譯是中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)文化向世界傳播的重要途徑和手段之一,然而文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)使理解和翻譯《論語(yǔ)》的難度相應(yīng)加大。討論《論語(yǔ)》中文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)的翻譯,并對(duì)所采取的翻譯策略進(jìn)行分析,以便使《論語(yǔ)》英譯更好地達(dá)到文化交流的目的。
《論語(yǔ)》; 文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng); 翻譯策略
翻譯既是語(yǔ)言之間的轉(zhuǎn)換,更是文化之間的交流。不同民族的文化有共性也有個(gè)性。文化的共性使不同民族的語(yǔ)言具有可理解性,但是,文化的個(gè)性所衍生出來(lái)的大量文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)給文化間的順暢交流和翻譯造成了障礙。艾克西拉給文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)下的定義是:在文本中出現(xiàn)的某些項(xiàng)目由于在譯語(yǔ)讀者的文化系統(tǒng)中不存在對(duì)應(yīng)項(xiàng)目或者與該項(xiàng)目有不同的文本地位,因此其在源文中的功能和涵義轉(zhuǎn)移到譯文時(shí)發(fā)生翻譯困難[1](P18)。所謂有不同的文本地位,就是因意識(shí)形態(tài)、慣用法或使用頻率等方面的差異而有不同的價(jià)值。
作為儒家經(jīng)典之一的《論語(yǔ)》,它的翻譯一直是中西方文化交流的一個(gè)重要內(nèi)容,同時(shí)也是中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)文化傳播的重要途徑和手段。其文本類(lèi)型和特點(diǎn)蘊(yùn)含大量文化成分,從而使理解和翻譯的難度都相應(yīng)加大。文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)直接反映文化獨(dú)特之處,翻譯中對(duì)其所采取的翻譯策略是影響中國(guó)文化對(duì)外宣傳效果的一個(gè)關(guān)鍵因素。因此,探討《論語(yǔ)》中文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)的翻譯有著重要的現(xiàn)實(shí)意義。
奈達(dá)把翻譯中涉及的文化因素分為五類(lèi),即:生態(tài)文化、物質(zhì)文化、社會(huì)文化、概念文化和語(yǔ)言文化[2](P91)。本文以奈達(dá)這一文化因素的分類(lèi)來(lái)分析《論語(yǔ)》中各種文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)在四個(gè)英譯本中的表達(dá)方式。
山河、動(dòng)植物的名字和地名以及它們的聯(lián)想意義都可以歸為生態(tài)文化類(lèi)。
1.孰謂鄹人之子知禮呼?《論語(yǔ)·八佾》
A.Who says that old man knows the classical rites?(Cleary)
B.Do not tell me that this son of a villager from Tsou is expert in matters of ritual.
Footnote:A village with which Confucius's family had been connected.(Arthur Waley)
陬,魯邑?!妒酚洝房鬃由敳洁l(xiāng)陬邑是也。陬,一作鄹,一作郰。這里的“鄹人之子”指孔子,暗含不敬之意。柯立瑞舍去“鄹人之子”的表述,而以“that old man”表達(dá)了對(duì)孔子不敬的意思;韋利在譯文中直譯,通過(guò)腳注對(duì)“鄹”進(jìn)行了補(bǔ)充說(shuō)明。
2.子曰:“鳳鳥(niǎo)不至,河不出圖,吾己矣夫!”《論語(yǔ)·子罕》
A.The Master said,The phoenix does not come;the river gives forth no chart.It is all over with me.
Footnote:The arrival of this magical bird and the sudden revelation of a magical chart were portents that heralded the rise of a Saviour Sage.(Arthur Waley)
B.The auspicious phoenix does not appear;the Yellow River does not yield up its magical chart.All is lost with me.(Roger Ames & Henry Rosemont,Jr.)
“鳳鳥(niǎo)”指鳳凰,傳說(shuō)舜和周文王時(shí)都曾出現(xiàn),預(yù)示著時(shí)代的興盛、事業(yè)的成功?!皥D”指河圖,據(jù)記載,伏羲氏時(shí)代曾在黃河中出現(xiàn)一條龍馬,背上有一張圖,就是后來(lái)伏羲氏畫(huà)八卦時(shí)所根據(jù)的“河圖”,古代人們把這樣的事看作是圣明君王出現(xiàn)的一種征兆。因此黃河不出河圖則不是圣明之世,指時(shí)當(dāng)亂世。韋利將“鳳鳥(niǎo)”直譯為 phoenix,“圖”直譯為chart,通過(guò)腳注的方式將鳳鳥(niǎo)和河圖的寓意補(bǔ)充。安樂(lè)哲和羅思文以“加詞”的方式直接將寓意在譯文中體現(xiàn)。另外,在古漢語(yǔ)中,“河”專(zhuān)指黃河,韋利譯為泛指一切河流的river,擴(kuò)大了“河”的范圍。
中國(guó)文化中所特有的、西方文化中沒(méi)有而且也難以用簡(jiǎn)單的解釋進(jìn)行說(shuō)明的物質(zhì)實(shí)體,稱(chēng)為物質(zhì)文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng),包括中國(guó)特有的服裝、食物、住處、交通工具、器皿等?!墩撜Z(yǔ)》中多次涉及到春秋時(shí)代的工藝品,如瑚璉、毊,觚、木鐸等。
3.子貢問(wèn)曰:“賜也何如?”子曰:“女,器也?!痹?“何器也?”曰:“瑚璉也?!薄墩撜Z(yǔ)·公冶長(zhǎng)》
A.Zigong asked,“What do you think of me?”The Master said,“You are a utensil.”Zi Gong further asked,“What sort of utensil?”The Master said,“The best jade vessel for food,used in ancestral sacrifice.”(潘富恩,溫少霞)
B.Tzu-kung asked saying,what do you think of me?The Master said,you are a vessel.Tzu - kung said,what sort of vessel?The Master said,A sacrificial vase of fade!Footnote:The highest sort of vessel.(Arthur Waley)
C.Zigong inquired,“And what do you think of me?”The Master replied,“You are a vessel.” Zigong asked,“What kind of a vessel?”The Master replied,“You are a most precious and Sacred kind of vessel.”
Additional notes:The Hu and the Lian were sacrificial vessels used in the ancestral halls of the Xia and Shang dynasties respectively.(Roger Ames & Henry Rosemont,Jr.)
瑚﹑璉皆宗廟禮器,是古代宗廟盛放黍稷的祭器??鬃右院鳝I比子貢,是說(shuō)子貢對(duì)于國(guó)家社稷乃是大器,具有治國(guó)才能。潘富恩、溫少霞在譯文中增加了瑚璉的功能表述。韋利除了在譯文中指出瑚璉的功能外,又腳注了瑚璉的地位,向讀者暗示其引申意義。安樂(lè)哲和羅思文給瑚璉做了更詳細(xì)的注解,包括使用的朝代等。
稱(chēng)謂、風(fēng)俗習(xí)慣、禮儀、生活方式、行為習(xí)慣以及文學(xué)和藝術(shù)成就等都可以歸為社會(huì)文化類(lèi)。
4.子見(jiàn)南子,子路不說(shuō)?!墩撜Z(yǔ)·雍也》
A.When the Master went to see Nan-tzu,Tzu-lu was not pleased.
Footnote:The wicked concubine of Duke Ling of Wei.(Arthur Waley)
B.The master went to see Nanzi,and Zilu was not at all happy about.
Additional note:Nanzi was the concubine of Duke Ling of Wei who had a rather colorful and unseemly reputation.(Roger Ames & Henry Rosemont,Jr.)
南子是衛(wèi)靈公的夫人,宋國(guó)人,容貌漂亮。南子生活在距今兩千多年的春秋時(shí)代,對(duì)于沒(méi)有中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)文化背景的西方讀者來(lái)說(shuō),對(duì)南子可謂一無(wú)所知,韋利、安樂(lè)哲和羅思文均通過(guò)加注簡(jiǎn)單介紹了南子的身份背景。
5.子曰:“無(wú)為而治者,其舜也與?夫何為哉?恭己正南面而已矣?!墩撜Z(yǔ)·衛(wèi)靈公》
A.The Master said,“To rule doing nothing,that was Shun's way.What did he do?He merely placed himself gravely and reverently in his imperial seat;that was all.”(潘富恩,溫少霞)
B.The Master said,Among those that‘ruled by inactivity’surely Shun may be counted.For what action did he take?He merely placed himself gravely and reverently with his face due south;that was all.
Footnote:The position of a ruler.(Arthur Waley)
C.The Master said,“If anyone could be said to have effected proper order while remaining nonassertive,surely it was Shun.What did he do?He simply assumed an air of deference and faced due south.”(Roger Ames & Henry Rosemont,Jr.)
古代以坐北朝南為尊位,故帝王諸侯見(jiàn)群臣,或卿大夫見(jiàn)僚屬,皆面向南而坐,因用“南面”以指居帝王或諸侯、卿大夫之位。潘富恩、溫少霞舍去“南面”的形象,將其意譯為imperial seat。韋利在譯文中直譯“南面”為due south,腳注其為“統(tǒng)治者之位”。安樂(lè)哲和羅思文直譯“南面”為due south,并未加注釋。
6.子貢曰:“《詩(shī)》云:‘如切如磋,如琢如磨’其斯之謂與?”《論語(yǔ)·學(xué)而》
A.Zigong said,“It is said in the Book of Poetry:‘As you cut and then file,as you carve and then polish.’”(潘富恩,溫少霞)
B.Tzu-kung said,The saying of the songs,As thing cut,as thing filed,As thing chiseled,as thing polished.
Footnote:The Book of Songs p46,which describes the elegance of a lover.Tzu-kung interprets it as describing the pains the gentleman has taken to improve his character,and suggests that Confucius prefers the second maxim(poor,yet delighting)because it implies a greater effort of self-improvement.(Arthur Waley)
C.Zigong said:“The Book of Songs”Like bone carved and polished,Like fade cut and ground.
Songs 55(Roger Ames & Henry Rosemont,Jr.)
“如切如磋,如琢如磨”出自《詩(shī)經(jīng)·衛(wèi)風(fēng)·淇奧》,本來(lái)指把骨頭、象牙、玉石、石頭等加工制成器物的工藝:切制、銼平、雕刻、磨光。這里引申指君子的自我修養(yǎng)過(guò)程。潘富恩、溫少霞采取了直譯的手法。韋利在譯文中直譯了工藝過(guò)程,通過(guò)腳注指出其引申意義。安樂(lè)哲和羅思文在譯文中也是直譯,加注了引語(yǔ)的出處。
概念文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)包括涉及宗教信仰、世界觀、價(jià)值觀、思維方式、民族精神等的基本概念和術(shù)語(yǔ)。
7.子曰:“君子坦蕩蕩,小人長(zhǎng)戚戚?!薄墩撜Z(yǔ)·述而》
A.The superior man is always calm and at ease,the small man is always fretting.(潘富恩,溫少霞)
B.The Master said,A true gentleman is calm and at ease;the mall Man is fretful and ill at ease.(Arthur Waley)C.The Master said,“The exemplary person(junzi君子)is calm and unperturbed;the petty person is always agitated and anxious.”(Roger Ames & Henry Rosemont,Jr.)
“君子”在西周典籍中是貴族男子的通稱(chēng),在《論語(yǔ)》中出現(xiàn)多次。除個(gè)別地方繼承原意外,已由身份貴賤的稱(chēng)號(hào)演變?yōu)榈赖滦摒B(yǎng)水平高低的稱(chēng)號(hào)。潘富恩、溫少霞譯“君子”為T(mén)he superior man,然而,superior作定語(yǔ)時(shí)在英語(yǔ)世界被廣泛地用于貶義,用來(lái)諷刺那些自以為高人一等、具有優(yōu)越感的人?!独饰漠?dāng)代英語(yǔ)詞典》的解釋為:“superior:having or showing a high opinion of oneself,superior persons:esp.iron.the better educated or elite;prigs.”[3]所以,superior在西方讀者心目中喚起的負(fù)面反應(yīng)必然與“君子”一詞在中國(guó)讀者中引起的美好聯(lián)想大相徑庭。
韋利將“君子”和gentleman對(duì)等,根據(jù)《朗文當(dāng)代英語(yǔ)詞典》的解釋?zhuān)癎entleman:1)a man who always behaves towards other people in a polite and honorable way and who can be trusted to keep his promises;2)old-fashioned,a man from a high social class,especially one whose family owns a lot of property.”[3]可見(jiàn)英語(yǔ)中 gentleman 在詞義上與漢語(yǔ)中的“君子”有著高度的相似,而且在個(gè)人修養(yǎng)方面都有極嚴(yán)格的要求,二者比較對(duì)等。
安樂(lè)哲和羅思文譯“君子”為exemplary person,并加上拼音及漢字進(jìn)行補(bǔ)充說(shuō)明。
8.顏淵死。子曰:“噫!天喪予!天喪予!”《論語(yǔ)·先進(jìn)》
A.When Yan Yuan died,The Master said:“Alas!Heaven is destroying me,Heaven is destroying me!”(潘富恩,溫少霞)
B.When Yen Hui died,the Master said,Alas,Heaven has bereft me,Heaven has bereft me!(Arthur Waley)
C.When Yan Hui died,the Master cried,“Oh my!Tian天 is the ruin of me!Tian is the ruin of me.”(Roger Ames&Henry Rosemont,Jr.)
前兩個(gè)譯文將“天”和 Heaven對(duì)等,安樂(lè)哲和羅思文則通過(guò)漢語(yǔ)拼音附帶漢字“天”來(lái)處理,“這在很大程度上是因?yàn)?,通常所用的英文譯法‘Heaven’為之強(qiáng)加了若干中國(guó)文化沒(méi)有的,源自耶穌——基督傳統(tǒng)的意象”[4](P47)。在很多語(yǔ)境中,單獨(dú)使用的“天”字實(shí)際上是指代“天地”——它暗示“天”并不是獨(dú)立于世的?!妒ソ?jīng)》中的上帝常常被轉(zhuǎn)喻為創(chuàng)世之Heaven,而文言文中的“天”即是世界。
每種語(yǔ)言都有它自己所獨(dú)具的性格、習(xí)性、脾氣、癖好、氣質(zhì),也即是說(shuō)有它自己的語(yǔ)言個(gè)性[5](P100)。中國(guó)的語(yǔ)言文字有其獨(dú)特的特點(diǎn),像象聲詞、多音字、四種聲調(diào)、四字成語(yǔ)等文字特點(diǎn),以及對(duì)偶、排比等修辭手段。
9.子曰:“君子周而不比,小人比而不周?!薄墩撜Z(yǔ)·為政》
A.The Master said,A gentleman can see a question from all sides without bias.The small man is biased and can see a question only from one side.(Arthur Waley)
B.The master said:“Exemplary persons(junzi君子)associating openly with others are not partisan;petty persons being partisan do not associate openly with others.”(Roger A-mes & Henry Rosemont,Jr.)
對(duì)偶是用字?jǐn)?shù)相等、結(jié)構(gòu)形式相同、意義對(duì)稱(chēng)的一對(duì)短語(yǔ)或句子來(lái)表達(dá)兩個(gè)意思相對(duì)或相近的修辭方式,便于吟誦,有音樂(lè)美,并且表意凝煉。然而由于漢英兩種語(yǔ)言的差異,譯文中這些修辭手法的傳遞有所缺失。
通過(guò)對(duì)上述《論語(yǔ)》中各類(lèi)文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)翻譯的對(duì)比與分析,各位譯者所采取的翻譯策略有:
文外作注。即文內(nèi)直譯,有關(guān)文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)的說(shuō)明則放在注釋或腳注之中。如韋利對(duì)“鄹人”、“鳳鳥(niǎo)”、“南子”、“南面”、“如切如磋,如琢如磨”及安樂(lè)哲和羅思文對(duì)“瑚璉”、“南子”等的翻譯,均采用了這種翻譯策略。其優(yōu)點(diǎn)在于保留原文特點(diǎn),能詳細(xì)介紹中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)文化,是最常見(jiàn)、最有效的方法;缺點(diǎn)則是要讀者中斷閱讀。
文內(nèi)明示。即文內(nèi)意譯,或直譯與意譯相結(jié)合。如安樂(lè)哲和羅思文對(duì)“鳳鳥(niǎo)”、“圖”及潘富恩、溫少霞對(duì)“瑚璉”和“南面”等的翻譯。這種策略的優(yōu)點(diǎn)是不影響讀者閱讀,缺點(diǎn)是介紹語(yǔ)篇外文化的空間有限,而且會(huì)削弱原文含蓄的審美效果。
替代。即用蘊(yùn)含目標(biāo)語(yǔ)文化的表達(dá)方式取代蘊(yùn)含出發(fā)語(yǔ)文化的表達(dá)方式。如潘富恩、溫少霞及安樂(lè)哲和羅思文直接將“天”譯為Heaven。由于“天”和Heaven在中西兩種文化中所代表的意象并不對(duì)等,譯文讀者對(duì)原文的理解就會(huì)出現(xiàn)一定的偏差,有時(shí)候甚至?xí)霈F(xiàn)誤解,如潘富恩、溫少霞對(duì)“君子”的翻譯。一般來(lái)說(shuō),在處理文化色彩較明顯的現(xiàn)象時(shí),不如文外加注的方式穩(wěn)妥。
刪除。即刪去含有影響語(yǔ)篇連貫的文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)。如柯立瑞對(duì)“鄹人”的翻譯。這種翻譯策略使譯文較連貫,但其最大的弊端是影響了譯文讀者對(duì)原語(yǔ)文化的了解,在特定的情況下可以采用。柯立瑞在他所譯《論語(yǔ)》的前言中寫(xiě)道:“The aim of this presentation of teachings of Confucius has been to produce a streamlined version in a convenient format,centered on a translation that reads easily and yields meaningsdirectly without distracting the reader unnecessarily by the interjection of Sino logical complications.”[6](P9)可見(jiàn),柯立瑞就是想做一個(gè)易懂的英文版本,使讀者不為中文的文化特征所困惑,而且他采用了《易經(jīng)》64卦的形式,重新把《論語(yǔ)》各段落進(jìn)行編排,認(rèn)為這有助于克服若干世紀(jì)中因文化變革和孔學(xué)研究的分歧所引起的直接了解孔子思想的困難。簡(jiǎn)而言之,他的目的就是形成一個(gè)普通老百姓閱讀的“普及版”《論語(yǔ)》。因而柯立瑞刪除《論語(yǔ)》中的有些文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng),意圖是盡量避免中國(guó)文化的特殊事物給外國(guó)讀者帶來(lái)的不必要的理解方面的困難。
自由翻譯:拼音+漢字+引言解釋。如安樂(lè)哲和羅思文對(duì)“天”及“君子”等概念的翻譯,譯者在序言中分析了這些概念的哲學(xué)文化意義,通過(guò)拼音加漢字避免了讀者帶著西方文化的偏見(jiàn)來(lái)理解《論語(yǔ)》?!拔覀儗?xiě)作《導(dǎo)言》的目的就是要啟發(fā)敏感的讀者盡可能原汁原味地理解儒家之道,而不要根據(jù)自己的興趣和認(rèn)識(shí)隨意夸大或剪裁。”[4](P2)
翻譯是一項(xiàng)有目的的活動(dòng),“所有文本都是為特定的目的而產(chǎn)生并且為這個(gè)目的服務(wù)”[7](P12)。如韋利認(rèn)為以往的《論語(yǔ)》翻譯完全依賴(lài)朱熹對(duì)《論語(yǔ)》的解釋。然而,在韋利看來(lái),朱熹不是一個(gè)真正的學(xué)者,他只是一個(gè)神職人員似的人物,是一個(gè)福音派傳教士,他用程朱理學(xué)來(lái)解釋孔子。所以韋利要譯出自己的版本,意在讓歐洲讀者了解《論語(yǔ)》作者們的初衷?!啊璽here is room for a version such as mine,which attempts to tell the European reader what it meant to those who compiled it.”[8](P76)因而在韋利翻譯的《論語(yǔ)》譯本中有很長(zhǎng)的導(dǎo)言,譯文隨文附有較多的注釋?zhuān)g文后還有附注,進(jìn)一步討論了比較深入的文本問(wèn)題,意在為讀者提供更多的文化背景來(lái)認(rèn)識(shí)“真實(shí)的孔子”。
在翻譯《論語(yǔ)》中的文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)時(shí),各位譯者自覺(jué)不自覺(jué)地受翻譯目的的影響,分別采取了上述翻譯策略。這5種策略和艾克西拉所提出的11種文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)翻譯策略中的文外解釋、文內(nèi)解釋、同化(即選用譯語(yǔ)文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)來(lái)翻譯原語(yǔ)文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng))、刪除、自創(chuàng)基本對(duì)等。
中國(guó)典籍是中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)思想和文化的結(jié)晶,在全球化時(shí)代的今天,它們的對(duì)外譯介對(duì)于向世界介紹華夏文明,保持中國(guó)固有的文化身份,使中國(guó)文化和西方文化進(jìn)行平等對(duì)話(huà),促進(jìn)中西文化的交融和互補(bǔ),具有深遠(yuǎn)的歷史意義和重要的現(xiàn)實(shí)意義。所以,作為從事典籍翻譯的譯者,要注重文化專(zhuān)有項(xiàng)在典籍英譯過(guò)程中的重要性,從而采取相應(yīng)的翻譯策略,最后達(dá)到文化之間的交流。
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[2] Nida E A.Toward a Science of Translating[M].Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press,2004.
[3] Longman Contemporary English-Chinese Dictionary[Z].Beijing:Modern Press,1996.
[4] 安樂(lè)哲,羅思文.《論語(yǔ)》的哲學(xué)詮釋?zhuān)跰].北京:中國(guó)社會(huì)科學(xué)出版社,2003.
[5] 高?。g與鑒賞[M].北京:外語(yǔ)教學(xué)與研究出版社,2006.
[6] Cleary Thomas.The Essential Confucius[M].San Francisco:Harper,1992.
[7] Nord C.Translating as a Purposeful Activity:Functionalist Approaches Explained[M].Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press,2001.
[8] Waley A.The Analects[M].Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press,1998.
Abstract:Confucian Analects,as the most important Confucian classic,is the brightest pearl in China's culture depository.Its translation has been an important way of eastern and western cultural exchange.It is rich in cultural-specific items,which makes it more difficult for translators to understand and translate.Various translation strategies adopted to translate cultural-specific items in Confucian Analects were compared and analyzed with a purpose to make the English version of Confucian Analects play a better role in cultural exchange.
Key words:Confucian Analects;cultural-specific items;translation strategy
On the Translation of Cultural-specific Items in Confucian Analects
HUANG Yu-xia
(Department of Foreign Language,Taiyuan Normal College,Taiyuan,Shanxi 030012,China)
H315.9
A
1674-0297(2011)05-0134-04
2011-04-26
黃玉霞(1980-),女,山西夏縣人,太原師范學(xué)院外語(yǔ)系講師,碩士,主要從事英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)言學(xué)研究。
(責(zé)任編輯:張 璠)