Cultural translation refers to the study of translation in the context of cultural studies, that is, the study of the commonness and individuality of the "surface" and "deep" structures of cultures and languages among different nations, and the exploration of the internal relationship and objective laws between culture and translation.
1. Cultural translation and cultural "fax"
Cultural "fax" here refers to the basic principles of cultural translation. It requires the target language to accurately reproduce the meaning, mode and style of the source language from the perspective of cultural meaning. In other words, the "form" and "spirit" of the original language are embodied in the original language. This shows that the study of cultural "fax" is a key part of translation. The reason why translation is not so easy is that language reflects culture, carries rich cultural connotation and is restricted by culture. Once language enters communication, there will be problems in understanding and expressing cultural connotation. This requires translators not only to have bilingual ability, but also to have knowledge of bi culture and even multi culture, especially to have a certain understanding of a series of mutually changing factors such as national psychological consciousness, cultural formation process, historical customs and traditions, religious culture and regional features of the two languages. It is precisely these mutually changing factors that reflect the unique national color of the language and culture of the English and Chinese nations. For example, there is a saying in A Dream of Red Mansions that "... It's not like the granddaughter of the old ancestor, but it's like the granddaughter of his own family." It is generally believed that the blood relationship of a legitimate grandchild or granddaughter is to kiss a grandchild or granddaughter. Wang Xifeng's remark undoubtedly refers to Lin Daiyu's extraordinary temperament, just like her granddaughter, to win her favor. If you translate this sentence into "She doesn't take after your side of the family, Grannie. She's more like a Jia.". Yang and Dai, who are familiar with Chinese tradition, translated this sentence as "She doesn't take after her father, son in law of our old Ancestress, but looks more like a Jia.".
Sometimes, even if we have some understanding of the cultural meaning of an idiom allusion, we can not flexibly handle it according to the context in translation, and may not achieve the effect of "fax". For example, "a dog in the manger" is often literally translated as "a dog in the manger", but it seems inappropriate to use it in the following two examples.
Example 1: Let me have the skates You don’t know how to skate. Don’t be a dog in the manger.
Give me the skates. You can't skate. Don't let dogs occupy the manger. (The underlined part of this sentence should be translated as "Don't take up the manger and shit".)
Example 2: There you are the dog in the manger! You won’t let him discuss you affairs, and you are annoyed when he talks about his own.
Your dog occupies the manger! You won't let him talk about you, but you are annoyed when he talks about himself. (The underlined part in this sentence should be translated as "Don't do it if you don't do it!" Only then did I get the idea.)
The religious beliefs of English and Chinese are different, which will naturally be reflected in language. The culture in English is mainly the Christian culture, the Bible, which has played an immeasurable role in the formation and development of the entire Western civilization. Correspondingly, it is the Buddhist culture that has a profound influence in China. The two cultures have their own characteristics in thinking habits, language expression forms, vocabulary images and meanings, so special attention should be paid to translation. For example, Hawkes translated the "Amitabha Buddha" in A Dream of Red Mansions into "God bless my soul", replacing the Amitabha Buddha of Buddhism with God, which may make Westerners think that Chinese also believe in God. Such a translation greatly reduces the connotation of Chinese culture. Another example is that the idiom "heaven takes the hindmost and earth destroys" uses "heaven" and "earth" as symbols of supreme power, but it can only be applied to China, which is deeply influenced by the Taoist concept of heaven, so it cannot be replaced by "God", which reflects the Christian faith. The translation of some words with foreign feelings is also a difficulty.
It can be seen from the above that "cultural translation" is indeed a translation in the "context of cultural studies", and cultural "fax" is the key to cultural translation.
2. Grasping the degree of cultural "fax" in translation
Cultural "fax" not only means to be faithful to the source language, but also to seek an optimal translation method under the premise of considering foreign cultures. As for what is its "degree", there is no fixed rule to follow, so how to accurately grasp its scale remains to be honed and explored by translators for a long time. The author intends to talk about his superficial understanding of the "degree" of bilingual transformation from the following three aspects.
2.1 Explore the historical, social background, significance and cultural connotation of words, and accurately grasp the cultural "fax"
Cultural translation should not only take into account the historical and social background, but also pay attention to those words that have similarities and differences, are similar to little differences, and have differences in the same. The translator should maintain a clear thinking, pay attention to the implication of the deep culture, and understand the similarities and differences of the surface meaning of the language. 2.1a Get rid of the national psychological constraints of sexual taboos and repression
The similarities and differences in social customs and ethics of different nationalities sometimes make it difficult to faithfully translate the original text. For example, in France, once a man and a woman can kiss their lips, they can almost sleep together. Therefore, in order to take care of the national habits and be afraid of harming the weathering of the country where the target language is used, the French have changed the British father daughter kiss to the French father daughter hug when translating English novels. Obviously, this is a rewriting that is different from the original intention and cannot achieve the effect of "fax".
He made you a highway to my bed, But I, amaid, die maiden widewed
Zhu Shenghao, a senior translator who was interfered by the ethical culture of China for thousands of years, translated this sentence as: He borrowed you (the soft ladder) as a bridge to pull the love, but I wanted to die as a resentful daughter who kept an empty girl alone. The word "death" in this sentence has been quietly translated into a much more appropriate word "acacia", which has caused a language sickness that cannot stand scrutiny. In traditional Chinese culture, how can an unmarried girl directly say that she wants her sweetheart to "go to my bed"? Fang Ping, a translator in the 1990s who had changed his feelings and values, broke through the national psychological shackles of sexual taboos and repression, and translated this sentence into: He would have used you as a shortcut to get on my bed, pitied my virgin, lived as a widow, and died as a virgin. Fang's translation is obviously closer to the original meaning.
2.1b Don't be confused by the superficial meaning
For example, "bone stuck in one's throat" means that you have something to say, instead of throwing up first, "have a bone in one's throat" is just the opposite. Another example is the Chinese idiom "It is a wise father that knows his child" and the American idiom "It is a wise father that knows his child". Chinese emphasizes that fathers know children best: English uses the sentence pattern "It is (a wise father) that..." to contrast that even fathers do not necessarily know children. The nearer the bone, the sweeper the mean Some people translate it as "the more the meat sticks to the bone, the more fragrant it is", which only reminds people of meat as food. This is just an understanding of the literal meaning. Its real metaphorical meaning is "slim people are more attractive than fat people." See the following example sentence:
A little skinny … for my taste, but like my ol’ dady used to say; the closer the bone, the sweeter the meat.
From my point of view... a little thinner, but my father often said: the less flesh, the more beautiful.
Some religious idioms are also worth noting. For example, Lick/Kiss the dust (Micah 7:17) should not be translated into "throwing oneself into the ground" or "worshiping". This idiom has a deep metaphorical meaning of "bow to one's knees and endure insult", and its derogatory meaning is slightly similar to that of "humiliation in the crotch" in Chinese.
The above examples of the target language pay attention to the literal meaning of the surface of the words, while ignoring the deep meaning restricted by their cultural characteristics.
2.1c Grasp the psychological characteristics of the characters and the essential characteristics of things in the original text
The figure of speech with both form and spirit reveals the spiritual essence of the psychological state of the characters while depicting the appearance of people or things. It embodies the likeness of spirit in the likeness of form, making the metaphor of likeness more realistic. For example: He (Prebel) looked at the clock The big second band was sweeping down like a guillotine. (Pat Frank) In this case, the external similarity between the second hand and the guillotine knife is that they fall quickly, while the internal similarity is that two things - time and the guillotine knife - are both ruthless and passing away, while the moment when he should make up his mind is approaching in seconds. Another example: Beauty is but flower, which wrinkles will deveur. In appearance, "beauty" and "flower" are both beautiful, but they will eventually be swallowed up. In essence, they have the characteristics of mortality.
2.1d Find the "fit point" of literal translation, free translation and annotation to reflect the cultural style of the source language
For example: There is a mixture of the tiger and the ape in the character of a Frenchman
a. The French character is a mixture of tigers and apes.
b. The French are cruel and cunning.
c. The tiger is evil and the fox is cunning. This is the French character.
The above translation C is the best embodiment of the integration of literal translation and free translation.
Another example: It seems strange that the various editors should allow such redundant flooding of dead donkey, unless perches they had a supposition that after all the donkey might not be quiet dead, and wish to make sure
It is strange that some editors even allowed the donkey to be whipped to death again and again - to repeat what has become a conclusion, unless they may suspect that the donkey may not be completely dead and want to prove it. (The parts with dots in this sentence are translated freely, and the other parts are translated literally. The literal translation keeps the original expression mode, and the free translation reflects its internal meaning.)
In the American novella Longmagee, there is a sentence that the mother said to her daughter: An 'after all her bringin' – up what I total 'her an' talked wid her She goes the d’ bad, like a duck teh water. Here, like a duck to water is a very appropriate metaphor, which is easily accepted by Chinese people. So Mr. Sun Zhili translated the whole sentence into "I gave birth to her, raised her, and told her to go, but she still went to do the immoral thing, just like a duck in the water." The literal translation of such images not only keeps the color of foreign culture, but also gives people a refreshing feeling.
Some English idioms refer to the characters in the Bible. If literal translation and annotation are adopted, the metaphorical meanings of the original text can be displayed faithfully. For example: as old as Methuselah, as rich as a Jew, as wise as Solomon. Methuselah, the son of Enoch in the Bible, was said to have died in 969; In ancient times, Jews used to hoard money because of usury, so Jews became synonymous with the rich; Solomon, the ancient king of Israel recorded in the Bible, is famous for his wisdom.
Literal translation can sometimes maintain the vivid image of the original text, supplement or enrich Chinese vocabulary, and make the translation fresh and powerful. This translation method is particularly common in political terms, such as: Lame duck (an official who is about to leave office but is not re elected); Dark horse - dark horse (previously unknown candidate or player who won unexpectedly); A stick and carrot policy. This literal translation method should first be considered on the premise that Chinese is acceptable.
2.1e Pay attention to the translation of words with foreign feelings
Different ethnic groups often have similarities and differences in their understanding of the attributes and characteristics of some culturally meaningful animal and plant words and seasonal words
As a result, there are rich associations and many metaphorical phenomena with both commonness and individuality, which make some words in English and Chinese have strong emotional colors such as praise and criticism, likes and dislikes, joys and sorrows.
The most typical difference between English and Chinese customs is their attitudes towards certain animals and their deep cultural connotations. Chinese people love cats very much. "Greedy cats" is used to describe people's greediness, often with the element of intimacy. In Western culture, cat "cat" is used as a metaphor for "a woman harboring evil intentions". In the eyes of the Chinese, "goat" is a commendatory word, while the British regard "goat" as a satyr and a lewd person. When Mercutio ridicules the old nurse as a prostitute in Scene 4 of Act II of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, he uses the word "hare":
Romeo: What has thou found?
Mercutio: No hare, sir.
Mr. Liang Shiqiu translated this sentence into:
Luo: What did you find?
Mo: Not a pheasant, sir.
Hare was originally a hare, which means prostitute, equivalent to "pheasant" in Chinese. "Hare" has turned into "pheasant", which happens to be a homophonic pun with "wild prostitute", which is really a good translation.
Some plant words in Chinese also have profound metaphorical meanings. "Willows" can be compared to "prostitutes", "frivolous and ruthless women", and brothels, such as "whores", "flower streets and willow alleys", and "seeking flowers and willows". English will is a symbol of sad fate. The image of willow in Shakespeare's plays is linked with the tragic fate of Opheli and Desdemona, who sang the song of willow before she died.
Chinese culture often combines "sadness, coolness, sadness and sorrow" with "autumn". When the autumn wind blows together, the coolness suddenly comes into being, and there is "sadness and loneliness in autumn", which gives rise to many feelings of "deep sorrow and sorrow", such as: Jiang Shi's "tears are similar to the autumn river, and little attention is paid to the east of the sky"; Ouyang Xiu's famous lines, "When the wind and bamboo strike the autumn rhyme in the quiet night, thousands of leaves rise in a thousand, all of which are hatred". On the contrary, the English autumn has no "melancholy taste", and it is often associated with "quiet autumn sentiment", such as "autumn language, autumn news", etc; The sound of autumn often means joy. In translation, these color words should be carefully considered, otherwise, "cultural distortion" will occur.
2.2 Do not wear "long gown and mandarin jacket" for "foreigners", which is the original embodiment of cultural "fax"
When talking about translation, Mr. Lu Xun particularly stressed the need to pay attention to the exotic atmosphere, that is, the so-called foreign atmosphere. Here, "foreign flavor" refers to preserving the foreign cultural features contained in the original language, and not making English expressions have a unique Chinese color.
2.2a Literal translation is sometimes better than free translation
For example: as gentle as a lamb, as gay as a lark, as proud as peacock, as ugly as a toad, as hard as flint, as like as two peas. This treatment not only conveys the image, but also adds exotic flavor to the translation.
Of course, the deliberate pursuit of "foreign flavor" and "image" sometimes backfires.
For example: With determination, with luck, and with the help from lots of good people, I was able to rise from the ashes
With my determination, my luck and the help of many kind-hearted people, I was able to make a comeback. (In this translation, the image of a phoenix burning itself is discarded. If the original "image" and "foreign flavor" are always emphasized, it is literally translated as "I am finally reborn from ashes." That makes people confused.)
2.2b Avoid imposing distinctive national or local features of Chinese into the translation
For example, the English idiom (a region) flowing with milk and honey comes from the Bible. Milk and honey are familiar foods to Westerners. If this idiom is translated into the Chinese "land of fish and rice", although it has similar meanings, it is somewhat nondescript. Therefore, it is more appropriate to translate it into "a land of rich resources". Another example: When Green meet Green, then comes the tug of war This proverb originates from the stubborn resistance of ancient Greek cities to Philip and Alexander, the kings of Macedonia. Later, it is often used to describe the fierce fight between two warriors or two brave armies. Someone translated it as "Zhang Fei met Zhang Fei and killed him everywhere". In this sentence, Zhang Fei is a historical figure in China, and there is no such person in Britain, so it is not suitable to appear in the translation. When two men meet, their struggle will be fierce.
2.2c Pay attention to the treatment of "local flavor" in "foreign flavor"
When translating from English to Chinese, we should not only keep the "foreign flavor" in the translation, but also pay special attention to some "local flavor" in the "foreign flavor", that is, those non-standard words or slang expressions through grammatical or phonetic variations. This kind of expression can be used to exaggerate the character's personality, reflect the character's cultural level and social status. For example:
“I kept it from her after I heard on it,” said Mr. Peggotty, “going on nigh a year. We was living then in a solitary place, but among the beautifullest trees,…”
"Since then, after I heard the news," Peggotty said, "I've been keeping it from her for almost a year. We stayed in a pretty place at that time, and the trees in the front and back were the most beautiful,......"
In the original, Mr. Peggotty's words are full of mistakes, which shows that he has not received much education and is not a figure of the upper class. The translation faithfully conveys this feature of surface structure as much as possible. If the underlined part in the translation is changed to "after I heard the news", "I was living in a quiet place with beautiful trees around..." Although this translation is smooth, it is against the original text. The original "rustic" has been lost, which is not conducive to the reproduction of Peggotty's tone and manner of speaking. Another example is a sentence in Tess:
“O no-I wouldn’t have it for the world!” declared Tess. “And letting everybody know the reason-such a thing to be ashamedo’!”
"No, I can't do that even if I die!" Tess cried proudly. "If such a thing is known to others, shouldn't people be ashamed to death?"
Mother asked Tess to find a male partner to dance with her to accompany her to the fair to sell beehives. Tess felt it was indecent and refused. In the original text for the world, it is emphasized that to be ashamedo is an nonstandard language. Mr. Zhang Guruo's translation uses slang words such as "risking death" and "humiliating people to death", which not only conforms to the style of the original sentence, but also conforms to the style of rural girls; At the same time, it also presents Tess's simple, kind and shy character to the readers.
2.3 Properly use Chinese idioms and standard expressions to display the cultural "fax" in the best way
The process of cultural translation practice can be said to be the process of deeply analyzing the source language text and cultural content, gaining its meaning, understanding its spirit, and then expressing it with the tempered target language text. The target language should not only maintain the "original flavor" mentioned above, but also have "local flavor" when necessary, that is, adopt standardized Chinese and customary expressions accepted by the Chinese people, otherwise it will not achieve the "Fax" effect.
2.3A expression with local flavor
For example: The man is the black sheet of family
If the proverb is translated into "that person is the black sheep of the whole family", it will make people feel puzzled and do not know what it means. There are two mistakes in the translation: first, the image of the vehicle in the Chinese mind is not clear; Second, the similarities between the noumenon and the vehicle are not pointed out. If the underlined part is replaced by the "black sheep", the metaphor will be clear at a glance.
There are also some idioms that can be accepted by Chinese only when the vehicle is changed, such as a lion in the way, like a hen a hot bird, The leopard cannot change his spots, and so on.
The mutual reference of languages can enrich the expressiveness of the two languages. Chinese has incorporated many words with strong "foreign flavor" that are directly translated from English. From the perspective of English, Westerners are also willing to collect some foreign expressions that they do not have. For example, the literal translation of "like two cocks in the same cage" into English can be accepted by British and American readers. If you'll see the flying feathers is added, the Chinese meaning is "you'll see the flying feathers", then it is more vivid. For another example, whether "to drain the pond in order to get all the fish" is translated into "to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs", or whether it is better to use the corresponding English idiom "to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs", the author thinks that the former is more appropriate. Although it seems to have lost a little "foreign flavor" on the surface, it can reflect the "local flavor" of the idiom with strong Chinese characteristics.
2.3b Try to use standard Chinese and pay attention to the "verve" in the target language
For example, the first sentence of Bacon's "Of Studies" is translated into "reading can make people feel happy, add luster and increase talent", which means that although it is no different from "reading is enough to delight, enrich and grow talent" (translated by Wang Zuoliang), it has lost its charm and taste compared with the original text, It also destroys the trinomial parallelism of the surface structure of the original text.
The four character structure of Chinese combines various language elements and means of expression into a whole, which is rigorous in structure and rich in implication. If it can be properly used in the translation, it will receive rare rhetorical effects.
For example: I suppose he will be awfully proud, and that shall be treated most continuously Still I must bear my hard lot as well as I can…
I guess he must be arrogant and arrogant. What can I do without paying attention to me? I can only accept it with resignation... (Vanity Fair). (In this sentence, "Lingren" is an extension of the original meaning. "Be patient" and "bear my hard lot" are basically synonymous. If it is translated as "bear my miserable fate", it will be much worse.)
To sum up, in order to accurately grasp the degree of cultural "fax" in translation, we must consider these three elements: national cultural traditions of different registers, cultural content and cultural psychology. From a macro perspective, translators should understand the implication of culture, the basic theories and skills of translation, and from a micro perspective, carefully observe the differences between the above "three elements" and compare and analyze them to find out the causes of "cultural distortion". In a word, only when "faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance" are integrated under the premise of considering foreign cultures, can we ensure the realization of cultural "fax" and truly do a good job of cultural translation.