OnStylesofLiteraryTranslationinDifferentPeriods-精選文檔

1、OnStylesofLiteraryTranslationinDifferentPerio dsOn Styles of Literary Translation in Different Periods from Treasure Island：Treasure Island is a famous novel written by British writer Stephenson describing overseas adventures. Taking Treasure Island as an example ， this paper is designed to explore

2、the different literary translation styles in different periods. In the first chapter， briefly definethe translation style and introduce the plots of Treasure Island ； in the second chapter ， the specific examples from three translationversions- the 1930s， the 1980s andearly 21st century -are analyze

3、d respectively ， and via the comparisons the conclusion is drawn that in different period ， due to the different ideology and reality of that situation ， different styles in literary translation appear ； finally makea summaryt o the full paper that there are diversity and differences in literary tra

4、nslation styles of different periods.Chapter One Introduction1.1 The Definition of Literary Translation StyleStyle can be defined as the way language used in a given language. Translation style is translators basicpersonality and distinctive characteristics revealed in translating (Dan Hanyuan 1996：

5、 29). The literary translation style is the personality and characteristics of the translator reflected in the process of translation of literary works. Besides ， it also covers the background of the times of the source language and the target language ， thus forming a unique style in the literary t

6、ranslation works (Dan Hanyuan 1996： 29 ).From the comparison of different literary translation works we can find that in different historical periods and different cultural background ， literary translation works style is not the same. The reasons why thisphenomenon occurs are complicated. Objective

7、ly speaking，different historical periods advocating different cultures makes the literary translation style present different features ； in the different background of time ， the different mainstream consciousness and political system make literary translation style various.Subjectively speaking ， l

8、iterary translation style is gradually formed through the translator s daily practiceand literature creation， influenced by differentbackground of society ， politics ， economy ， and culture ， thus shows various styles. Literary translation style interpretation is never an isolated ， static behavior

9、of individuals ， but is a profound art which is placed in a specific historical and cultural background ( Jiang Qiuxia 2003： 34 ).1.2 Treasure IslandTreasure Island is themasterpiece of adventure novelof Robert Luis Stevenson who is one of the most famous English novelists. Treasure Island is a stor

10、y mainly about adventure to find treasure， published in 1883. The heroof the novel is a boy， Jim Hawkins. A thick scar faceman-Bill the pirate who died because of alcohol and stroke leaves behind a legendary treasure map which pirates Flint buried treasure. To dig the treasure ， Jim and prestigious

11、doctor Livesey who is the local sheriff and the squire Trelawney make a big sailing in Bristol， recruitedcaptains ， seamen and cooks ， setting out together to the sea. The one-legged cooks Silver and the other seamen are pirates who want to get the treasures. Finally ， the fellows of Jim ， Dr. Lives

12、ey and squire Trelawney fight against Silver and other pirates with a series of battles ， and theyfinally win with treasure.Chapter Two Different Translation Styles inDifferent Periods from Treasure IslandAs everyone knows， in the differenthistorical period ，it will have a different historical backg

13、round， and themainstream of political， economic ，and culturalbackgrounds. Similarly ， translation， an important partof the culture， also is limited by the historical andcultur al background of the age. Whats more ， different translators choose different language in their time to translate ， thus ， l

14、anguage of literary works has a strong flavor of the times and the characteristics. Following the author introduces the three different periods ， selecting the three representative versions in each period to analyze from words ， phrases and sentences systematically. Finally highlight that the style

15、of literary translation is different in different age.2.1 Analysis of Three Translation StylesAccording to the three periods in the former part ， the author selects three domestic versions which are all representations in that era to compare and analyze.Respectively ， they are Shizhi Xis version in

16、1937， RongRudes version in 1980 and Zhou Libos version in 2010. The versions are all from famous translators who all have wide readers and large influences. But at the same time， theyhave a certain span in time， more than forty years fromeach other ， thus ， their translation methods are various ， bu

17、t in general each of them has its own merits and can be called as a good work of translation. This paper takes the first part of Treasure Island(a total of six parts) asan example to analyze and compare from words ， phrases and sentences translation examples of the three different Chinese translatio

18、n versions ， thus ， conclude not only that there is a more specific， clear ， intuitiveunderstanding of style of translation in different periods ， but also get more inspiration from this. In the following contents ， “1937” is on behalf of Xi Shizhi in 1937， “1980” is on behalf of Rong Rude in 1980，

19、and“2010” is on behalf of Zhou Libo in 2010.2.1.1Translation of Words in Different PeriodsThe meanings of words have special significance in translation. Only the most appropriate use of vocabulary can accurately reproduce the original information of the literary work， so as to make the translation

20、language morefluent. And in different periods， the usage and ways oflanguage varies. Following， the author selects someexamples from above three versions to prove this.Example 1 ： squire1937s translation：紳董1980s translation ：鄉(xiāng)紳2010s translation ：鄉(xiāng)紳Example 2 ： rum1937s translation ：甜酒1980s translatio

21、n ：朗姆酒 2010s translation ：朗姆酒From Example 1， we can find that in different periods the appellations of the rich and officers are not the same. Because there are different historical background and social system. Wec an see in 1937 it was still in the control under the Republic of Ch ina and the land

22、lord s status is relatively high at that time. But when it turns into 1980 and 2010 ， the People s Republic of China has been established. The landlord had been knocked down and they just are ordinary people as citizens.From Example 2 ， we see that in different periods the appellations of food are v

23、arious. In 1937， Xi translated“rum” as “甜酒” while the others translated as “朗 姆酒”. The former translated it by its meaning while the latter by pronunciation， also because of the othernessexisting in different periods.Example 3 ： though1937s translation ：雖則1980s translation ：雖然2010s translation ：雖然Ex

24、ample 4 ： neck1937s translation ：頸項(xiàng)1980s translation ：脖子2010s translation ：脖子From Example 3 we can conclude that， in 1937 ， theChinese language is experiencing the stage of transition from classical Chinese to vernacular， showing thecharacteristics of vernacular with obvious old classical language.

25、In 1980 and 2010， the vernacular has matured and formed a sophisticated system of Mandarin language.From Example 4 we can see that ， with the changes of the times ， the usages and translation of noun are also changing. Besides ， in different ages ， there is a different Chinese corresponding word to

26、a foreign vocabulary. Forinstance ， 1937s translation of “neck”， “頸項(xiàng)”， and in 1980 and 2010 ， it is translated as“脖子”. As allmodern Chinese know ，“頸項(xiàng)” is the appellation of ancient Chinese ， but it is the same meaning as“脖子”，which is the appellation of contemporary Chinese. And the phenomenon is the

27、 distinct reflection of the differences styles of language translation between three periods. Example 5： I1937s translation ：吾1980s translation ：我2010s translation ：我Example 6： we1937s translation ：吾們1980s translation ：我們2010s translation ：我們This is the refection of the most significant difference b

28、etween the period of the Republic of China and the modern period of PRC ， that is the changes of first personal pronouns. In the past， people usually calledthemselves as “吾” and called “we” as “吾們”， which are typical language of ancient Chinese. But nowadays，China implies universal Putonghua system，

29、 which calls I as “我” and we as”我們” . Wec an also see the phenomenon at the translations of phrases and sentences.2.1.2 Translation of Phrases in Different PeriodsStatus of phrases in a work of literature is also very important. In translation， whether the translatedsentences can express the origina

30、l meaning of the literary work vividly and authentically ， depending on not only the understanding of literal meaning， but also on theunderstanding of cultural knowledge in the era. Different periods have different styles of translation ， and phrases translation also do not in the same style.Example

31、 1： first of the month1937s translation ：月朔1980s translation ：一號(hào)2010s translation ：月初 Example 2： closed the door1937s translation ：閉門之時(shí) 1980s translation ：把房門帶上2010s translation ：關(guān)上門的時(shí)候The Example 1 shows the changes of the way of numbering years and month from 1937 to 2010. Because of the calender

32、used in 1937 ， which called Chinese lunar calender ， Xitranslatedfirst of the monthas “月朔” which meansthe first day in a month of Chinese lunar calender， notthe original meaning that the author wanted to convey.While in 1980 and 2010， the Gregorian calender is used and it is more in line with the we

33、stern expression way.From Example 2 ， we can see that in1937， the authoralways translated “的” in modern Chinese as “之” in ancient Chinese. The cause of the phenomenon is the differences of literary translation style between difference periods. In 1937 ， the ancient Chinese was in dominant while in 1

34、980 and 2010 the mature modern Chinese was in major. And modern Chinese has changed a lot about the old Chinese.Example 3： bring up alongside1937s translation ：就停在這里罷1980s translation ：往這靠近些2010s translation ：把車子靠邊Example 4： if he had any1937s translation ：倘使他有錢的話1980stranslation ：如果有錢財(cái)留下2010s trans

35、lation ：如果他有的話From Example 3 ， we can clearly find that in the endof all thosesentences of the year of 1937 ， there were modal particles in each of them. This is an obvious characteristic of 1930s. In this period ， the translator always uses such words to end a sentence， for instances ，“罷”， “來” etc.

36、 While in 1980 and 2010， thephenomenoni s not as obvious as before.As mentioned before ， Chinese language is experiencing the stage of transition from classical Chinese to vernacular， showing thecharacteristics of vernacular with obvious old classical language. Therefore ， from Example 4， in 1937， “

37、if ” was translated as“倘使”， while in 1980 and 2010， the word was written as “如果 . 的話” by translators. But themeanings of them are same.In conclusion as listing lots of phrases here， it can be drawn into a conclusion ， that is the differences between 1937 and 1980 are much more clear than the differe

38、nces between 1980 and 2010. Because the social background and used language were various in 1937 ， 1980 and 2010.2.1.3 Translation of Sentences in Different PeriodsIn the original text of Treasure island ， the sentence form is usually long and complex. Basing on the differencesbetween English and Ch

39、inese ， it is not possible to completely restore the original sentence. Only use certain methods， such as “break up the whole into parts ”， that is ground breaking long sentences into simple sentences，or according to the context of logic ， slightly change the original sentence ， then use the most co

40、nsistent form with Chinese expression to reproduce the original.Example 1： A pleasant sittyated grog-shop.1937s translation ：并且此間酒店，地位也非常適宜。 1980s translation ：酒店開在這地方真不壞。2010s translation ：酒店的位置也很討人喜歡。Example 2： I was quite unsteady by all that had fallen out.1937s tra nslation ：但是我非常精神不定，為著遭遇到 了這樣

41、意外的事情。1980s translation ：可是我被剛剛的一切嚇慌了手腳。2010s translation ：但發(fā)生的這一切使我心煩意亂。From this ， it can be seen that in 1937 the sentence structure is more complex than the other two and usually put some sentences and words post-position. Forinstance ，in Example1， the translator in 1937 put the front attribute

42、of the original sentence ended at the sentence ， and inExample 2， put the reasons end at the sentence which was consistent with original sentence structure.Example 3： I remember him as if it were yesterday.1937s translation：我回想起來猶如昨日的光景。1980s translation：現(xiàn)在回想起這個(gè)人來，簡(jiǎn)直象是昨天發(fā)生的事情。2010s translation：無(wú)。Com

43、prising with Example1 and 2 ， the other characteristic of 1937s sentence was short and chastening. Because of using the ancient Chinese words that contain much more information than a vernacular word， the sentence can be shorter but also carry the same meaning. Such as， or “昨日的光景” in 1937 and “昨天發(fā)生的

44、事情” in 1980. The sentence can not be found in the version of 2010 which makes some delete of the original text.Example 4： The captains order to mount at once and ride for Doctor Livesey would have my mother alone and unprotected ， which was not to be thought of.1937s translation ：若為船長(zhǎng)之故，我立刻乘馬至李佛 西醫(yī)生

45、處，那么勢(shì)必令我的母親孤獨(dú)無(wú)助，這是一定使不得的。1980s translation ：我要是遵照船長(zhǎng)的囑咐立即騎馬去 找李甫西大夫，就會(huì)撂下我母親獨(dú)個(gè)兒無(wú)人照應(yīng)， 這是不能考慮 的。2010s translation ：至于船長(zhǎng)讓我立刻起碼去找利佛西 醫(yī)生的囑咐， 我實(shí)在難以做到， 讓我把母親一個(gè)人孤單的留在家 里我怎么放心的下。1937s version and 1980 s version were both translated as the original sentence structure which was a little translationese and unnatu

46、ral. But the 2010sversion was more flexible， and used the method breakingup the whole into parts and putting the attributed sentence forward to be a single sentence which makes the sentence more natural and fluent. And this translation method will be helpful to readers understanding.Example 5： I jum

47、ped in my skin for terror.1937s translation ：我將嚇得縮入皮中去了。1980s translation ：寒毛都豎起來了。2010s translation ：無(wú)。This is a familiar idiom but the translation of the idiom is not the same. In 1937s version ， the translator just translated according to the surface meaning which may cause misunderstandings to r

48、eaders while in 1980version the translator used the free method to translate the sentence as a living language which was easier tounderstand. 2010 s version of Treasure Island made some changes， therefore ，in 2010s version it cannot be found.2.2 Comparison of Three Translation StylesTranslators in d

49、ifferent times， have differenttranslation ideas ， adopt different translation strategies and create a different language style. And it needs to be noticed that the examples selected in this paper are limited ， and the analysis is incomplete. In fact ， each of the three versions has its own merits， a

50、nd is a modelfor us to learn from. Following ， do some conclusions about the three translation styles.3.2.1 The LiteraryTranslation Style in 1937In 1937， translation style had experienced the stage of transformation from the classical Chinese to vernacular and the characteristics of using Europeaniz

51、ed Chinese，basically maintained the original sentence form and structure. Because the Treasure Islands versions wereproduced in the thirtys ， so it must be with the linguistic features of the period. In ter ms of Xi Shizhi version in 1937， his translation is not as simple， crisp and easyto understan

52、d as the other two.2.2.2 The Literary Translation Style in 1980In 1980， China imply the strategy of reform and opening up， increasing exchanges with foreign cultural， thus ，promote mutual understandings and integration between Chinese and foreign culture. Therefore ， the 1980 version is the most clo

53、se to the translation criteria in the three versions. In eighty s version ， the language is succinct ， natural ， pure and no longer use the Europeanized Chinese.2.2.3 The Literary Translation Style in 2010Because the Treasure Island s versions were produced in the 21st century ， so it must be with t

54、he linguistic features of the period. In 2010， the language is moreflexible ， simple ， rich and colorful and pays more attention to the cross-cultural exchange ， but due to the rapid change of life style ， the text made some changes ， not as good as the other two version in faith of the original.Cha

55、pter Three ConclusionLooking back at the history of Chinese translation，especially theChinese translation history before the May 4th movement， there have been three translation climax. Each of them was closely connected with the background at thattime ， which makes the translation activities have di

56、stinct social characteristics of the times. Through the three translation climax ， it can be clearly recognized that all translation activities are carried out in a specific background of times. It is linked to the pulse of the times. Similarly ， as an important part of translation ， literary transl

57、ation is also linked to age. At different times，there are different historical and cultural background and different mainstream ideology， and then differenttranslation styles emerge. Style is the soul of literature. Whatever the era is ， the translation style should not only be loyal to the original

58、 text， but also accord with thetarget language expressions and thinking， so that thereaders can easily understand and accept.Throughthe comparative analysis of three Chinese versions ， the purpose of this paper is to reveal the important role of preunderstanding ， including the influence factors of social language ， cultural environment and translation thoughts that have the character of times， that thetranslator plays in the whole translation process. Some people say literary translation is difficult. And i