怎样合理地使用字面翻译与意译(英语英文).doc

怎样合理地使用字面翻译与意译OnHowtoUseLiteralandFreeTranslationinaProperandRationalWayI.IntroductionTranslation,nomatterasakindofculturalphenomenon,thinkingmovement,orasasortofcareer,intellectualskill,willalwayshaveacloserelationshipwiththebackgroundofourlivingtime.Notonlyitsideaandmethodbutalsoitsmode,criterionandgenre,allofthemadvancewiththetimes.Afterobservingthepracticingactivitiesandtheoreticalresearchofinternationalandinternaltranslation,itcomestoaconclusionthattranslationisoneofthevigorousandpenetrativeareasintheculturalandideologicalprogress.Nowadays,mostscholarsinthescopeoftranslationbelievethatliteraltranslationandfreetranslationarethetwofeasiblewayswhenpeopletranslating,butbothofthemnotonlyhavedifferencesbutalsohaveassociations.Atthesametime,moderntheoreticalresearchoftranslationdemonstratedthattranslationactivityisnotonlyatransformationoftwodifferentlanguages,butalsoacommunicationofdifferentcultures.Thus,thispaperaimsatfindingaproperandrationalwayintranslationthroughthedetaileddescription,analysis,judgmentofliteralandfreetranslation,andthecomparativeresearchoftranslatabilityanduntranslatabilityoflanguagestyle.II.TheLiteralandFreeTranslationTherealwaysexisttwodifferenttranslationversions;oneistranslatedbyitsliteralmeaning,andanotherversionwillnottakemuchaccountofitsoriginalform.So,itcausesanargumentbetweenliteralandfreetranslation.Asisknowntoall,literaltranslationandfreetranslationaretwobasicmethodsofEnglish-Chinesetranslation.Then,afterall,whatistheliteraltranslationandwhatisthefreetranslation?2.1TheConceptsofLiteralandFreeTranslation2.2.1TheConceptofLiteralTranslationLiteraltranslationreferstotranslateasentenceoriginally,keepingtheoriginalmessageform,includingconstructionofsentences,meaningoftheoriginalwords,metaphors,nationaldistinguishingfeaturesoftheoriginaltextsandsoon.Itemphasizesthedoublecompoundingincontentandform.Thatistosay,thetranslationshouldreflecttheoriginalmoreloyaltynotonlyincontentbutinform.However,literaltranslationdoesnotmeanword-for-wordtranslation.Forexample:Translatorsshouldnottranslate“Mr.Billingscannotbedeterredfromhisplan”into“比林斯先生不能被阻止去实行他的计划”inChinese,andalsodonottranslate“Wesawanacrobatstandingonhishead”into“我们看见一个杂技演员正站在他的头上。”inChinese。Then,pleaselookatthefollowingexamplesintheliteraltranslationways:(1)ButIhatedSakamotoandIhadafeelingthathedsurelyleadustoourancestors.TheChinesemeaningis“但是我恨坂本，并预感到他肯定会领着咱们去见祖先。”Herethe“hedsurlyleadustoourancestors”canbetranslatedinto“他肯定会领着咱们去见祖先”,inChineseliterally.Itnotonlyexpressestheoriginalmeaningbutalsokeepsthemetaphoroforiginaltextsothatthetranslatedtextwouldbefluentandeasytobecomprehendedbytargetlanguagereaders.Butifitistranslatedinto“他肯定会领着咱们去送死”inChinese.Itcanexpressthecontentoforiginaltext,thetranslatedtextisalsofluentbuttheoriginalformhasbeenlost.(2)HitlerwasarmedtotheteethwhenhelaunchedtheSecondWorldWarbutinafewyearshewascompleteddefeated.TheChinesemeaningis“希特勒在发动第二次世界大战时是武装到牙齿的，可是不过几年就被彻底击败了。”The“armtotheteeth”isavivididiomwhichalwaysbeentranslatedinto“武装到牙齿”inChinesesincethebeginningofliberationinChina.Butifitistranslatedinto“全副武装”inChinese,thetoneofspeakingwouldbecomemoreweakened.Therefore,thisisthebriefintroductionofliteraltranslation.2.2.2TheConceptofFreeTranslationWhilefreetranslationneednotpayattentiontotheoriginalform,includingconstructionoftheoriginalsentences,meaningoftheoriginalworks,metaphoroftheoriginalformsandsoon.Thatistosay,freetranslationdoesnotattachimportancetoformandliteralmeaning.Itpaysmoreattentiontotheconsistenceofspiritualessence.Butfreetranslationdoesnotmeantodeleteoraddcontenttotheoriginalworksandtranslatorsmustconsidertheoriginaltextscarefully,knowitsstress,translateitnaturally,andexpressthemeaningoforiginalones.Takingacommonsayingasanexample:“Thereisnopotsouglyitcantfindalid.”TheChinesemeaningis“姑娘无论多么丑也能配个汉子。”.Iftranslatorspursueitssimilarityinformunilaterallyandoverlookitsrealmeaning,thenthissentencecanbetranslatedinto“没有丑到配不上一个盖子的罐子”inChinese.TheChinesemeaningwouldbeinfluentandnoteasytobecomprehendedbytargetlanguagereaders.Letusseeotherexamples:(1)“Shewasbornwithasilverspooninhermouthshethinksshecandowhatshelikes”.TheChinesemeaningis“她生长在富贵之家，认为凡事都可以随心所欲。”.Here,“bornwithasilverspooninhermouth”symbolizesnoble,whilethe“dowhatshelikes”justillustratesthatherhouseholdisoutoftheordinary.So,thetwoidiomaticphrases“富贵之家”and“随心所欲”intranslatedtextarejusttrue-to-lifeandfitforthemeaning.However,iftheyaredirectlytranslatedinto“嘴里含着银勺子出生”and“做任何她喜欢的事”,thepowerofexpressionwouldbecomeweaken.(2)“Thisyoungfellowdoeshisworkwithvimandvigor.”TheChinesemeaningis“这小伙子干活真冲。”.Inthissentence,ifthe“withvimandvigor”istranslatedintoaphrase,solo,itcanbetranslatedinto“既有活力，又有精神”.Butifitwasputintothissentence,thiswayofexpressionwouldbemoreformalanddonotconformtothecustomofexpression.Itseemsthatthelanguagewouldbecomestiffandobscureinmeaning.Whileifitischangedinto“真冲”,theworkingattitudeoftheyoungmancanbeexpressedaccuratelyandconcisely.2.2TheContrastofLiteralandFreeTranslationAccordingtotheconceptsofliteralandfreetranslation,theremustbesomedifferencesbetweenthesetwokindsoftranslationsobviously.Fromthepointofviewoflanguageform,literaltranslationkeepstheexpressionformoforiginalworks,whilefreetranslationwillgiveuptheexpressionformoforiginalworks.Fromthepointofviewoftherelationshipbetweenoriginaltextandtranslatedtext,literaltranslationbasesontheoriginaltext,butfreetranslationbasesonthetranslatedtext.Fromthepointofviewoftherelationshipbetweenoriginalauthorsandreaders,literaltranslationrestsontheoriginalauthorsminds;freetranslationdependsonthereadersthinking.Fromthepointofviewofdealingwithculturalelements,literaltranslationalwaysadoptsthewayofdissimilation;however,freetranslationwillusesthemethodsofassimilation.Fromthepointofviewofmannerofthinking,literaltranslationisakindofexpressionwhichconsidersthethinkingcontentsoforiginalworksbyusingthewayofthoughtsoforiginaltexts;freetranslationisasortofexpressionwhichthinksoverthecontentsoforiginaltextsbyusingthemannerofthinkingoftranslatedworks.While,fromthepointofviewofphilosophy,thereisnodoubtthattheremustbesomerelationshipsbetweenliteraltranslationandfreetranslation.Bothofthemareinterdependent,buteachofthempossessesakindoflimitationbythemselves.2.3InfluentialFactorsofLiteralTranslationandFreeTranslationWhenliteralandfreetranslationsarementioned,theymusthavebeenaffectedbyalotofelements.Therefore,theinfluentialfactorsofliteraltranslationandfreetranslationwillbediscussedfromthefollowingtwoaspects.2.3.1CulturalElementProf.EugeneA.Nidaasoneofthemostoutstandingtranslationtheoristsofworldrenowninthewesttodayhassaidthatinordertoreachtherealsuccessoftranslation,toknowtwokindsofdifferentculturesismoreimportantthantomasterthesetwosortsoflanguages.Therefore,cultureisoneofthefactorswhichinfluencetheliteralandfreetranslation.Translatorsalwaysuseliteraltranslationtodealwithsomeworkswhichtheirdistinctivenationalfeaturesarenoteasytobeunderstoodorcannotbefoundinthetranslatedlanguages,forexample,technicalterms,peoplesnames,geographicalnamesandsoon.Thissortofmethodcannotonlymakereadersknowmoreabouttheoriginallanguagesculturebutalsoaddsthenewculturalconceptstothetranslatedlanguageculturesoastomakethetranslatedlanguagecultureshavepossessionsofvivaciousnessandvigorousness.Sometimes,literaltranslationcanbeinfluencedbycultures.Forexamples:Sauna:桑拿浴一种芬兰式的蒸气浴;Internet:因特网国际互联电脑网络;AIDS:艾滋病一种获得性免疫缺损综合症;theswordofDamocles:达摩克里斯之剑喻临头的危险,源于希腊传说,古Syracuse国王命其延丞达摩克里斯坐在以一根头发悬挂的剑下,以示君王多危;aJudasKiss:犹大之吻喻口蜜腹剑,阴险的被判,源自,指耶稣十二使徒之一犹大以接吻为暗号出卖耶稣,导致耶稣被钉死在十字架上;theGordianknot:戈尔迪结喻棘手问题,源自希腊传说,戈尔迪结在木桩上系了一个众人皆无法解开的绳结,后由亚历山大王一刀斩开。西施:XishiafamousbeautyinthelateSpringandAutumnperiodinancientChina;气功:qigongasystemofdeepbreathingexercises;磕头:Kowtow,totouchtheforeheadtothegroundwhilekneeling,asactofworship,respect,etc.esp.informerChinesecustom;粽子:Zongzi,akindofglutinousricedumplingswrappedinbambooleaves;清明节:Chingming,atraditionalChineseholidaytocommemoratethedeadobservedinlatespring;功夫:Kungfu,aChinesemartialartbasedontheuseoffluidmovementsofthearmsandlegs.Fromthepreviousexamples,itcomestoaconclusionthatsomepropernounsmustbetranslatedliterallyaccordingtotheculturesoforiginalworks.However,somevocabulary,idiomsandsentenceswhichhavepossessionsofdistinctiveculturalfeaturesoforiginaltextscannotbetranslatedbythewayofliteraltranslationexactly.Then,freetranslationhastobeusedinthesecircumstancessoastoexpresstheoriginalmeaningdirectly.Throughfillinginsomevacanciesamongwords,meaningsandcultures,thesetranslatedworkswouldbecomemorefluentandeasytobeunderstoodbytargetreaders.Freetranslationcanalsobeeffectedbycultures.Forexamples:(1)OriginalText:ItwasanotheroneofthoseCatch-22situations:youaredamnedifyoudo,youredamnedifyoudont.TranslatedText:这真是又一个左右为难的尴尬局面,做也倒霉,不做也倒霉。(2)OriginalText:Wereitlefttometodecidewhetherweshouldhaveagovernmentwithoutnewspapersornewspaperswithoutagovernment,Ishouldnothesitateamomenttopreferthelatter.TranslatedText:如果让我选择是一个没有言论自由的政府,还是要一个只有言论自由而无政府的国家,我会毫不犹豫地选择后者。(3)OriginalText:ThestudyhasaSpartanlook.TranslatedText:这间书房风格简朴。(4)OriginalText:IwonderwhetherheisaTrojanHorse.TranslatedText:我怀疑他可能是个内奸。(5)OriginalText:Heisjustastalkinghorseintheelectioncontest.TranslatedText:他在这次竞选中只不过是充当一个掩护性候选人。(6)OriginalText:天有不测风云。TranslatedText:Somethingunexpectedmayhappenanytime.(7)OriginalText:望子成龙TranslatedText:toexpectonessontobecomeanoutstandingpersonage.(8)OriginalText:狗嘴里吐不出象牙。TranslatedText:Afilthymouthcantutterdecentlanguage.(9)OriginalText:情人眼里出西施。TranslatedText:Beautyisintheeyeofthebeholder.(10)OriginalText:有眼不识泰山。TranslatedText:Ifailtorecognizeyoureminence.Accordingtothepreviousexamples,toacertainextent,itcomestoaconclusionthatculturalfactorhasinfluencedtheusingofliteralandfreetranslation.2.3.2GrammaticalElementBesidestheculturalelement,grammarisanotherinfluentialfactorwhichaffectstheusingofliteralandfreetranslation.Itgoeswithoutsayingthatliteraltranslationoftenbeusedinsomesimplegrammaticalstructures,whilefreetranslationhastobeusedinthecomplicatedconstructions.III.TranslatabilityandUntranslatabilityInthetranslatorsopinion,theproblemwhichmayexistona50-50basisisoneofthemostcontradictorybetweendifferentlanguages.Thereby,anargumenthasbeencausedbetweenlinguistictranslatabilityanduntranslatability.Generallyspeaking,thecontroversyjustconcentratesonwhetherthelanguageistranslatableornotandwhetherthespecialformoflanguageistranslatableornot.Afterall,inthatcase,whatistheconditionoftranslatabilityandwhatisnot?3.1TheConditionofTranslatabilityTherearealotofcommonalitiesbetweenlanguagesallovertheworld.Linguistictranslatabilityhasbeendecidedbytheunityoflanguagefunctions,ifthefunctionoforiginalworkhasacoincidencewiththetranslatedtext,thenthelanguageistranslatable.Fromancienttimestothepresent,alargenumberoffamousworkswhichhavebeentranslatedintoalotofdifferentlanguageshavebecomethespiritualvaluesofhumanbeings.Greatquantitiesofscientificandtechnologicalachievementswhichhavebeenspreadfromonecountrytoothershavehadagreatbenefittothepowerofproductionofhumanbeings.Alltheseaccomplishmentscannotbeachievedifthereisnotranslation.Therefore,toacertainextent,itcomestoaconclusionthatlanguageistranslatable.3.2TheConditionsofUntranslatabilityAccordingtothecomprehensivesurvey,somescholarshaveputemphasisontheuntranslatability.Theybelievedthat,tosomeextent,translatabilityhasitslimitationandevenuntranslatable.Tobeginwith,fromthepointofviewofvocabulary,somewordscannotfindthecorrespondingonesinthetranslatedlanguageowingtotheunbalanceddevelopmentofeachnationandsomedistinctivefeaturesofgeography,historyandculture.Forinstance,somewordsaboutscienceandtechnology,philosophyandculturearealluntranslatable.Secondly,fromthepointofviewofgrammaticalsystem,somelanguagesareuntranslatable.Althoughmostoflanguageshaveperfectanddevelopedgrammaticalsystems,ifthegrammaticalstructureofonelanguagediffersfromanother,translatorshavetochangesomestructuresofgrammarsoastoensureitstranslatability.Besides,itisnoteasyforsomespeciallanguageformstobetranslated.Forexample,manytranslatorsconsidererthatpoemisuntranslatable.Whileifapoemistranslated,thearomaofthepoemwoulddisappear.Inaddition,someculturalphenomenonbetweendifferentnationsisalsountranslatable.Becauseanumberofparticularnationallanguageshaveformedtheirownfeaturesingrammarsandsentencestructuresaccordingtotheirdifferentculturalbackgrounds,customofsocietyandbackgroundoftimessoastomakesomeculturalphenomenonnoteasytobetranslated.Taking“毛笔”“墨”asexamples,peoplecannotfindtwowordstoexplainthesetwoChinesecharacters,iftheyaretranslatedintoChinesebrush(orwritingbrush),Chineseink,theappearanceofthingscannotb