Translation is a language activity that uses one language to accurately and completely re-express the thinking content expressed in another language. The results of the activity are closely related to the translator's own literary accomplishment, translation skills and other comprehensive qualities. English-Chinese translation can be divided into oral and written translations, covering various fields such as literature, science and technology, economics and trade, law, tourism, etc. No matter how different the styles are, in terms of translation standards, a relatively deep understanding of the original text is required, and the target language is required to be smooth and expressive of meaning. , there are many similarities in terms of reflecting the spiritual essence of the original text. We now focus on discussing the technical issues of English-Chinese translation from the following three aspects.
1. Look at English-Chinese translation from the perspective of cultural background differences. The famous American translation theorist Eugene Nida pointed out in his book "Language,
Culture and Translation": "The role of language in culture and the impact of culture on the meaning of words and idioms It is so universal that no text can be properly understood without careful consideration of the linguistic and cultural background. For example: there is such a word in English as "bridal shower", if it is translated as "bridal shower". ” is a mistranslation. Because in British and American countries, "bridal shower" refers to the high tea party held by the bride's family before she gets married. Generally, only women are allowed to participate. The bride's girlfriends often give her some small gifts, so it is translated as "to be married". Cocktail party" is more appropriate. Another example: At the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, British singer Elton John sang this sentence in "Candle in the Wind": Now you belong to heaven and stars spell out your name. Chinese translation: Now you ascend to heaven, and the stars spell out your name. The word "heaven" has Christian cultural connotations in the West, but does not have similar cultural connotations in non-Christian countries in the East. Therefore, when engaging in translation, one must first have a relatively comprehensive understanding of the cultural background knowledge of different languages, so that the translation will not be "missed by a thousand miles".
1． The impact of differences in observation and thinking on translation. There are many ethnic groups in the world, and almost every ethnic group has its own unique way of thinking. The difference in way of thinking is one of the important reasons for different cultural types. Chinese and English are no exception. There are certain differences in the way of observing things and thinking. For the same thing, different ways of expressing it in language often arise due to different thinking concepts. For example, there are differences in the observation and use of color. "Black tea" in Chinese means "black tea" in English; the corresponding word for "green" in Chinese is "red", but not in English; "yellow film" in Chinese means "blue film" in English. ); Chinese "brown sugar", English "brown sugar" (brown sugar). If the translator lacks understanding of the differences in observation and thinking between English and Chinese, it will cause mistranslation or mistranslation. Please see: (1) He is a white elephant on the football team. Can it be translated as "He is a white elephant on the football team"? "White elephant" is an English idiom, which does not refer to white elephant, but to "white elephant". "A burden" or "a useless thing", so the correct translation is "He is a burden to the team". In addition, idioms that match white include: white room (clean room), white lie (white lie), white sale (big sale), etc.
(2) The company is in the red. If translated as: "That company is lucky", it is obviously wrong, because in English "in the red" means "losses and deficits", "in the black" means "profit". So the correct translation is "that company suffered losses and had a deficit." It is worth noting that foreigners regard green as an auspicious color, while Chinese people regard red as an auspicious color, but "红白 happy events" cannot be translated as "red and white happiness" , but can only be translated as "weddings and funerals". In addition, there are many differences in the expression of numbers between English and Chinese. Please see an example: (3) This box is three times smaller than that one. The correct translation is: "This box is two-thirds smaller than that one" but not " This box is three times smaller than that one." This is because English often uses "reduce (shrink)... times" to express multiples, while "times" in Chinese is only used for "increase" and "growth", so when translating from English to Chinese, The English "reduce by two times" should be translated as "reduce by half", the English "reduce by three times" should be translated as "reduce by two-thirds", etc. The above situations are all due to the differences in the way of thinking between English and Chinese.
2. The impact of differences between religion and social life on translation.
Many Europeans and Americans believe in Christianity. They believe that "God" is omnipotent, thus producing words such as Jesus, Bible, church, angle, and God. However, the Chinese Most people believe in Buddhism, which leads to the emergence of mythical figures such as the "Jade Emperor", "Guanyin Empress", "The Lord of Hell", "The God of Wealth", and "The Lord of the Land". In addition, different social lives have also created unique national personalities, making the language rich in national color. If the translator lacks understanding of this cultural personality, it will be difficult to identify the cultural connotation in the words, which will lead to errors in the translation. Please see an example:
(4) Being a teacher is being present at the creation when the clay (soil) begins to breathe. Christians believe that God created man; and man comes from dust and returns to dust. . Therefore, creation in English mostly refers to "God" rather than "creation", and dust or clay mostly refers to "people created by God" rather than "soil". Therefore, this sentence can be translated as: "The teacher is a witness of creation, witnessing life Breathe and grow. "
(5) Lucy crossed (crossed) her fingers during the race so that Jim would win. If this sentence is translated as: "Lucy crossed her fingers during the race, hoping that Tom would win. It's a mistranslation. We know that an important ritual for Christians is to pray. When praying, you often cross your fingers and tap your chest three times. Therefore, "cross fingers" in English means "praying for God's blessing" and cannot be literally translated as "crossing hands." Chinese people often use "clasped hands" to express good wishes. The English translation is: "with hands clasped", so this sentence should be translated as: "During the game, Lucy prayed for Tom, hoping that he could win." In Western culture, it is also There are many allusions involving ancient Greece, Rome and the Bible. We should be more careful when translating.
（6）He showed unexpected strangth, especially in the wet districts. There are two key points in the sentence: 1. Can to show unexpected strangth be translated as "show unexpected strength"? In fact, this phrase is a language often used in election campaigns in Western countries, meaning "to get votes unexpectedly"; secondly, can wet districts be translated as "show unexpected strength"? "Wet district", in English, wet district means "non-alcoholic area", and dry district means "alcohol-free area". Therefore, this sentence should be translated as: "He unexpectedly got a lot of votes, especially in non-prohibition areas." Another example is that "unemployed workers" are called "the unemployed workers" in British and American countries, but they are called "the laid-off workers" in China. "(Temporarily laid-off worker), a more humane title is used here, which is more in line with the folk customs and sentiments of China, a country of etiquette. These are all differences in language and culture caused by different social lives, which should be noted in translation.
2. Look at translation from the perspective of expression. After understanding the differences in language and cultural background, the form of expression used in translation is particularly important. The form of expression plays a decisive role in restricting the content. In specific practice, we should preserve the original text as much as possible The form gives the translation its shape and conveys its spirit, with both form and spirit. A translation that only emphasizes spiritual resemblance but not physical resemblance is not a good translation. As Nida said: "Translations that do not consider form and only seek to express the meaning often lose the style of the original work and taste the same." Language is the carrier of social culture, and it is also the product of social culture. Although there are many differences in the social culture of different ethnic groups, there are also many similarities; although the thinking of people of different ethnic groups is not the same, they are not completely different, but there are similarities in differences and similarities in similarities. different. Therefore, although different language systems are vastly different, they still have many similar features. Their vocabulary composition, syntactic structure, and ways of expressing expressions are not only different, but also have many similarities or similarities. Next, we will discuss the issue of the restrictive effect of expression form on content in translation from three small points.
1. Rhetorical form of expression. (1) Not knowing a foreign language, he felt like a fish out of water
among so many foreigners. He felt out of place" is less than perfect. The original text uses metaphorical rhetoric, which is both vivid and appropriate. The translation turns the expression of the image into an abstract expression, so that the language that was originally rich in aesthetic meaning only has the function of transmitting information, so that readers cannot obtain the same artistic conception and feelings as expressed in the original text when reading. If translated as: "He didn't even understand a foreign language, and he felt as uncomfortable as a fish out of water with so many foreigners.
"This not only expresses the information function of the original text, but also retains the aesthetic function of the original text. It is actually a "domesticated" translation method. However, different images have different aesthetic characteristics and bring different imaginations to readers. , therefore, as long as the reader can understand and accept it, the aesthetic image of the original text should be retained as much as possible. For example:
(2) The mayor made John treasure, that's setting the fox to keep the geese. If Translated as “The mayor’s appointment of John as treasurer is simply inviting the wolf into the house. "On the surface, it reads smoothly, but the translation changes the metaphorical image of the original text and erases the exotic flavor of the original text. In fact, the literal translation is "The mayor appointed John as treasurer, which is simply asking the fox to guard the geese." Another example: There is a sentence in Milton's "Paradise Lost", "Better to reign in hell, than sever in heaven." (Paradise Lost) "Better to reign in hell than minister in heaven." "If it is translated as: "I would rather be a chicken's mouth than a cow's queen", the content and information seem to be intact, but the strong religious color shown in the original text has disappeared, and the unique meaning no longer exists. Please look at this sentence: "A new broom sweeps clean." It seems to be consistent with the Chinese proverb "Three fires for a new official to take office", but in a deeper sense they are not completely corresponding, although both contain "the first thing to do when taking office". The English proverb emphasizes eliminating shortcomings and making major reforms, and the attitude is positive and worthy of recognition, so it has a commendatory tone; the Chinese proverb emphasizes that reform is just a matter of doing something well. It only lasts three minutes to create momentum, and it cannot be sustained. It has an obvious meaning of irony and is a derogatory term. Therefore, it is better to literally translate this sentence as "the new broom sweeps away - the new one is eager to eliminate shortcomings and make changes." < /p>
(3) He is as busy as a bee. The sentence has two levels of meaning: the first means that he is very busy; the second means that he is as diligent as a bee. The literal translation is: "He is as hardworking as a bee." "Busy" can enable readers to fully understand the content and artistic conception expressed in the sentence. If it is superfluously translated as "He is a busy man", it will lose the charm of the original text. However, if the literal translation will bring about conflicts of meaning in Chinese and Western cultures, then We also need to consider free translation. For example: "dog eat dog" has the same form as "dog bites dog", but the meaning is not entirely similar. The "dog" in the original text has no obvious emotional color and means "cannibalism." However, "dog bites dog" has an obvious derogatory tone and expresses the speaker's contemptuous attitude. Therefore, in the translation process, the rhetorical expression should be based on the context and situation of the original text, and strive not to change the flavor of the original text. Mr. Mao Dun said: “Convey the artistic conception of the original work so that readers can be inspired, moved and enjoy the beauty when reading the translation just like they did when reading the original work. ”
2. The expression form of syntactic structure. The sentence structure is carefully created by the author to express the ideological content, which contains the author’s specific feelings, experience and evaluation of things. When translating, it should be as clear as possible Choose a syntactic structure with equal artistic expression and accurately reproduce the connotation of the original text:
(4) The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. If translated. For: “The proletarians have nothing to lose in this revolution except their chains, and they will gain a world. "Obviously unable to achieve the artistic conception of the original text, it is now translated as: "In this revolution, what the proletarians lose are only their chains, but what they win will be the whole world. "Two judgment sentence patterns are used here to make the structure parallel, improve the artistic expression of the translation, and make it have distinctive appeal. Another example:
(5) The reader's hair stands on the end when he reads in the final pages of the novel that the heroine, a dear old lady who had always been so kind to everybody, had in her youth, poisoned every one of her five husbands. There are two translations:
A. "When readers read in the last few pages of the novel that the heroine, an old lady who was always so kind and respectful to others, actually poisoned five of her husbands when she was young, they couldn't help but It will feel creepy. ”
B. “When readers reach the last few pages of the novel, they will feel creepy. Because the heroine, an old lady who was always so kind and respectful to others, actually poisoned five of her husbands to death when she was young.
”
The original text uses flashbacks to create suspense, making the reader unable to stop and giving rise to the desire to continue reading. Translation A uses a straightforward narrative of cause and effect, which seriously weakens the tension created by the original text and destroys it. The artistic effect of the original text is enhanced, and the translation B can basically meet the aesthetic requirements of the original text, which is obviously better.
It can be seen that the most basic thing that the translator must adhere to when translating is "faithfulness", that is. To faithfully reproduce the style of the original text, Mr. Fu Lei once said when talking about style translation: "There is no other way to convey style except syntax." The original text is gorgeous and elegant, and the original text is fresh and elegant. It returns its freshness and elegance; the original text is powerful and elegant, so it returns its majesty and elegance; the original text is humorous, so it returns its humorousness, truly achieving the "transformation state" praised by Mr. Qian Zhongshu - "it can not only be used by language, but also be able to express its originality." The differences reveal traces of being harsh and forced, but the original flavor can be completely preserved. ”
3. The expression form of the chapter structure. The chapter structure is the specific stylistic form adopted by the author according to the needs of writing, including poetry, prose, argumentation, etc. Articles of different styles have different forms of expression. For example, legal literature has some commonly used legal words, and science and technology also have some specialized terms. Practical articles sometimes have strict format requirements, and literature is more complicated. Articles such as dialogue description, psychological description, scenery or character description are different. There are also differences in words and sentences. Therefore, these differences should be taken into account when translating the passage.
（6）After an our climbing, we finally found ourselves at Zhurong Peak, the very apex. of Mt, Hengshan, towering 1,296m above the sea level. Translated as:
A. We climbed for an hour and finally reached the top of Zhurong Peak, which is the highest peak of Hengshan, at 1,296 meters.
B. An hour later, we finally climbed to the top of Hengshan Mountain, Zhurong Peak, which is 1,296 meters above sea level.
The original text uses "after...climbing" instead of the phrase "After we." had climbed for an hour", use "apex" instead of "summit, top", use the short participle "towering" instead of "it towers 1,296m above sea level", all of which indicate that the original text is a formal style , so translation B is more in line with the stylistic requirements of the original text. Therefore, the stylistic structure cannot be ignored. For example, Western modernist "concrete poetry" often has the characteristics of poetry and painting, which is the so-called "poetry". There are paintings in the paintings, and there are poems in the paintings." Please enjoy the following song "A Christmas Tree" (A Christmas Tree) written by the contemporary American poet William Burford.
Star
If you are
A love compassionate,
You will walk with us this year.
We face a glacial distance, who are here
Huddld
At You feet
This poem describes the scene of people reveling under the Christmas tree at Christmas. The structure of the poem also looks like a Christmas tree, making the reader feel like In a sense, its structure is more important than its content. If the translation ignores its particularity and changes its structural form at will, the artistic charm of the original text will be lost. . In addition, the original author was also ingenious and deliberately misspelled the word Huddled as Huddld to show that there were so many people under the Christmas tree that it was crowded. The famous translator has achieved the principle of "loyalty":
Star
If your love is filled with compassion,
Come with us next year.
We face the glacial distance, now
crowded
at the sole of your feet.
The translation faithfully reproduces the structural form of the original text, which is also structured like a tree. The translator also deliberately used traditional Chinese characters to translate the misspelling of the original text Huddld, achieving dynamic equivalence and retaining The beauty of the original poem. It can be seen that translation should strive for spiritual similarity on the basis of physical similarity as much as possible. Only when the two cannot be obtained, should the translation be similar in spirit and should be faithful to the content and style of the original text so as to make the communication between different languages ???? The transformation process truly conforms to the laws of language.
3. Look at English-Chinese translation from a pragmatic perspective. A good translator, in addition to understanding a considerable linguistic and cultural background and paying attention to the expression form of the translation, should also consider the translation from a pragmatic perspective, that is, the semantic aspect of the English sentence. Below we learn about this issue from some everyday terms. There’s this reveal: “No Nuisance.”
If it is translated as "Don't be annoying", it is obviously a mistranslation. In British and American countries, this is a euphemistic way of saying "it is forbidden to take out the garbage here". Therefore, it is particularly important to fully understand the speaker's intention. Please look at the examples:
(1) The actress got stars in her eyes when she thought of her success in the film. It would be extremely extreme to say "get stars in her eyes" as "seeing stars" Inappropriate, because in Chinese, "eyes popping with stars" means "dizziness" (such as being hit on the head with a stick). According to the semantics, it should be translated as: "Her (excited) eyes shine".
(2) I want to see the back of him. If it is translated as "I want to see his back", it is confusing. What can be seen from his back? In fact, this is a low-key way for British and Americans to euphemistically express their feelings. It should be translated as "I hope he gets out of here." If a person says a lot to someone, or repeats a meaning repeatedly, the other person may say: "That's all I want to hear." If translated as: "That's all I want to hear." The tone of the original words It is not translated, but it makes the reader think that the other person is satisfied with what the person said. The real meaning of the original words is just the opposite. It expresses a "bored" emotion. Therefore, it should be translated as "Enough (stop talking)!" to be correct.
There are many similar usages, so you must pay attention when translating. Please see:
(3) Now you are talking! Literally means "now you are talking", its real meaning is that you think what the other party says is very suitable to your own mind, and should be translated as "this is about the same." ". Another example is when you tell someone something and the other person replies: "You are telling me!" It is obviously wrong to translate it as "You are telling me", so it should be changed to "Do you still need to tell me this?" (The implication is: I already knew it!" Another example is the translation of "You don't want to do that" as "You don't want to do that", which is actually a warning to the other party "You shouldn't do that".
British and American people are also more euphemistic when making suggestions, sometimes using negative form to express positive meaning. Such as:
(4) Shouldn't they have their coats on? The translation that fits the tone of the original text should be "I think they'd better put their coats on" instead of "Shouldn't they have their coats on?" Clothes?" In addition, in English, the subjunctive mood is often used to express negation or condemnation, such as:
(5) You could have helped me with my luggage. The pragmatic translation is "You (Just now) Why didn't you help me with my luggage?" instead of "You could have helped me with my luggage" (the meaning seems to be that objective reasons prevented him from helping). Another example is when two people are talking about a performance: "Do you think all the programs are good?" "Well, some are interesting, but some could have been better." Translated as: "Do you think all the programs are good?" Well, some are interesting, some not so much" rather than translated as "... some could have been better."