《哈克贝利·芬历险记》的三个中译本的修辞效果对比研究

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Acknowledgements

It has taken me nearly a year to select the topic, write and revise my thesis. When

looking back on the hard long journey, I can hardly imagine the completion of my

thesis without the help and encouragement from so many people. Therefore, I would

like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt gratitude to those who have

provided me with unselfish help.

First of all, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Professor

Deng Zhiyong. He has given me valuable suggestions on the organization and the

contents of this thesis. After my finishing the first draft, he read it carefully and gave

me so many suggestions about correction and improvement. Without his immense

patience and enlightening guidance, I would never have finished my thesis. Here I

would also thank Associate Professor Yang Tao. She has read through my third draft

and given me a lot of precious suggestions about correction and language polishing.

My gratitude also goes to those professors who have given us wonderful lectures

during my postgraduate studies. I am also indebted to the teachers who have spared

their valuable time to finish my questionnaire. They are Zhang Feixiang, Hua Yan,

Zhang Qi, Jin Wenning, Liu Qin and Han Geling. All of my classmates also deserve

my heartfelt gratitude. During the past two years they have offered me great help on

both study and everyday life.

Finally, I would like to express my great thanks to my families for their persistent

love and support throughout the years of my study.

ABSTRACT

This thesis chooses The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and its three Chinese

versions as a case study and makes a comparative study of these versions from the

perspective of rhetoric. Translation and rhetoric in nature are communication; the

process of translation is actually a process of rhetoric or identification, during which

the rhetorician is the translator itself, the audiences are the various target readers and

the rhetorical product is the translated version. Whether a translated version is

successful or not depends on whether it has been accepted and identified by the

target readers, that is, whether it has persuaded the target readers. Therefore, the

author of this thesis uses Kenneth Burke’s “Identification” theory and holds that a

translator should try his best to achieve three “identifications” in the process of

translation, namely the identifications between the translator and the source writer,

the translator and the target readers, and finally achieving the identification between

the source writer and the target readers. In order to achieve the three

“identifications”, a translator must analyze the rhetorical features of the source text

first, and then use the closest natural equivalent to reproduce these features so that

the source text and the target text can achieve Dynamic Equivalent. In other words,

the translator should make the source text and target text achieve “identification” in

both meaning and style.

Through carefully analyzing the rhetorical features of the original novel and

making a comparison of the three Chinese versions, the author finds out that the

three versions have all successfully transferred the type of narration and the

colloquial style of the original novel. But from the aspects of dealing with the shift

of point of view in narration, dialects translation, humor translation and the

translation of other genres of literature, Xu’s version has done a better job than

Zhang’s and Cheng’s versions. Therefore, the author makes a hypothesis that on the

whole Xu’s version has achieved better rhetorical effects than Zhang’s and Cheng’s

versions.

Since the readers’ response is the best ways of evaluating whether a version

has achieved the best rhetorical effects, the author designs a questionnaire to collect

Chinese readers’ response to the three versions. The results show that most readers

have an obvious preference for Xu’s version. Among the seven selected examples,

there are five in which more than one third of the total readers have chosen Xu’s

translations, especially the identifying levels of Example (3), Example (4) and

Example (7) have achieved 54.2%, 51.8% and 53.0% respectively, much higher than

33.3%. This further testifies the hypothesis that the author has made previously.

Finally, based on this study, the author puts forward some suggestions for translators

so that they can improve the quality of their translated versions as well as upgrade

their translation level in the future.

Key Words: Dynamic Equivalent，Identification，Rhetorical

effects，The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

vii

摘要

本文以小说《哈克贝利·芬历险记》及其三个中文译本作为研究对象，从

一个新的视角，即：修辞学的角度，对这三个译本来进行对比研究。翻译和修

辞在本质上都是交际，翻译的过程实质上就是一个修辞的过程，在这个过程中

修辞者就是译者本人，观众就是广大的译语读者，译本则是修辞的产品，而翻

译的成功与否主要是看读者是否接受并认同你的译本，即：是否成功的说服了

读者。因此，作者运用美国著名修辞学家肯尼斯·伯克的“同一”理论，认为

翻译过程中必须达到三个“同一”，即：译者与原文作者的同一，译者与译文读

者的同一，最终达到原文作者与译文读者的同一。要达到上述三个“同一”，在

翻译的过程中，译者就必须仔细分析原著的修辞特色，然后用最贴近的自然的

对等语来再现原文的这些修辞特色，使译文和原文达到“动态对等”，也就是使

译文和原文在内容和形式达到“同一”。

通过分析小说原著的修辞特色和比较三个中文译本，作者发现它们都比较

成功地再现了原著的叙述类型和口语化的风格。但是，在处理叙述视角的转换、

方言的翻译、幽默风格的翻译以及小说中其他体裁的翻译方面，许如祉的译本

做的比张万里和成时的译本要好。通过这些对比分析，作者得出这样的假设，

即：从修辞的角度来看，许译总体上达到的修辞效果比张译和成译都要好。

读者反映是检验一个译本是否达到最佳修辞效果的最好途径。因此，作者

设计了一份针对部分中国读者的问卷调查，通过调查发现读者对三个译本的认

同度与作者的假设非常接近。在选取的 7 个译例中，选择许译的人数超过三分

之一的译例达到了 5 个，尤其是译例(3)、(4)和(7)，他们的认同度分别达到

54.2％、51.8％和 53.0％，大大超过了 33.3％的基本认同度。这进一步证实了

本文的假设。最后，通过本论文的研究，作者对如何提高译文质量和译者今后

如何提高自身翻译水平提出了几点建议。

关键词：动态对等同一修辞效果

《哈克贝利·芬历险记》

viii

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

中文摘要

Chapter One Introduction .............................................................................................. 1

§1.1 The Source, Significance and Aim of the Study .............................................1

§1.2 The Structure of the Thesis .............................................................................3

Chapter Two Literature Review .....................................................................................5

§2.1 The Research on Rhetorical Issues in Translation at Home and Abroad ........5

§2.2 Reader in Translation and Rhetoric ................................................................ 7

Chapter Three Theoretical Preliminaries ..................................................................... 11

§3.1 The Definition and Nature of Translation .....................................................11

§3.1.1 Some Key Definitions of Translation ............................................... 11

§3.1.2 Nida’s Notion of Translation and the Dynamic Equivalence Theory13

§3.2 The Definition and Nature of Rhetoric ......................................................... 14

§3.2.1 Some Key Definitions of Rhetoric ................................................... 14

§3.2.2 Kenneth Burke’s Notion of Rhetoric and the Identification Theory 16

§3.3 The Relationship between Fictional Translation and Rhetoric .....................18

Chapter Four An Introduction to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Analysis

of Its Rhetorical Features .............................................................................................21

§4.1 Introduction to the Author—Mark Twain .....................................................21

§4.2 Introduction to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ................................... 22

§4.2.1 Contents of the Novel ....................................................................... 22

§4.2.2 Rhetorical Features of the Novel ...................................................... 24

§4.3 Comments on the Novel ............................................................................... 26

§4.4 Introduction to the Three Selected Chinese Versions ................................... 27

Chapter Five A Comparative Study of the Three Chinese Versions ............................ 29

§5.1 The Narrative and Its Translation ................................................................. 29

§5.1.1 The Relationship between Narrative and Rhetoric ........................... 29

§5.1.2 The Relationship between Narrative and Translation .......................30

§5.1.3 Narrative in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Its Translation31

§5.2 The Style of the Three Versions ....................................................................41

§5.2.1 Style and Translation ........................................................................ 41

§5.2.2 A Comparison of the Three Versions in terms of Style Transference42

§5.3 Other Genres of Literature in the Novel and Their Translations .................. 62

§5.3.1 Letter and Its Translation ..................................................................62

§5.3.2 Poem and Its Translation .................................................................. 67

Chapter Six A Questionnaire on Target Readers’ Response ........................................ 71

§6.1 The Design and Implementation of the Questionnaire ................................. 71

§6.1.1 Purpose ............................................................................................. 71

§6.1.2 Subjects .............................................................................................71

§6.1.3 Design ............................................................................................... 72

§6.1.4 Procedure .......................................................................................... 72

§6.2 Results and Discussions ................................................................................73

§6.2.1 The Basic Knowledge about the Subjects ........................................ 73

§6.2.2 Data Analysis and Discussions ......................................................... 75

§6.3 Summary and Limitations .............................................................................79

Chapter Seven Conclusion ...........................................................................................81

Appendix ......................................................................................................................85

Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 93

在读期间发表论文 ..................................................................................................... 96

Chapter One Introduction

§1.1 The Source, Significance and Aim of the Study

Since the eighties of last century, the retranslation of western classic novels

has revived and become more and more popular. When walking in the bookstores,

readers often find a large number of old and new translated Chinese versions on the

foreign literature shelf. Some classic novels have several Chinese versions, while

others have as many as dozens of versions, especially those which are well-known

all around the world. For example, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—the

masterpiece of American realism writer Mark Twain, has more than thirteen

translated versions in China. Here let us look at what retranslation is? According to

Professor Xu Jun, retranslation, also called retraduction in French, refers to “the

phenomenon of retranslating or multi-translating (at least more than twice) a foreign

literary work” (Xu Jun, 1994: 2). The retranslation of classics can be classified into

two types: one type means that the same foreign literary work is translated by

different translators at the same period; the other means the same work is translated

by different translators at different periods. The former indicates the different

versions appear at the same period, while the latter implies that some late versions

may develop from or exceed the earlier ones in quality. Therefore, the first type is

also called synchronic retranslation and the second type diachronic retranslation. In

this thesis, the retranslation is meant for the latter type. Generally speaking, the more

excellent a work is, the more possible it is to be retranslated.

As to retranslation, there have long been different opinions in the translation

field. Lu Xun has ever remarked, “in order to fight back the random translation, the

only as well as the best way is to retranslate it; if it does not work, translate it once

again” (1984:243). However, other people thought, “retranslation is not economical

and the focus should be put on those valuable books which have not been translated”

(Zhou Taofen, 1920). In the modern times, with the development of translation study

and the deepening of cultural exchange between nations, most translators and

translation theorists have recognized the importance of retranslation. Retranslation has

become an inevitable phenomenon in the translation field. There are many reasons for

that: first of all, with the development of times and society, the old version will lag

A Comparative Evaluation of Three Chinese Translated Versions of The Adventures of

Huckleberry Finn—A Rhetoric Perspective

behind and not fit readers’ ideology and standards of appreciation; thus comes the

new translated version. Secondly, with the development of theories in linguistics and

translation, especially the Hermeneutic created in the 19th century, people have more

explanations and deeper understandings to the same work, thus new translated

versions come into being. Thirdly, it is also helpful and important to the spreading of

classic works. “If the initial translated version (of a classic work) can expand the

space of its popularity, then the retranslated version will extend the time of its

popularity”(Xu Jun, 1994: 2). Anyway, it is necessary and essential for a classic work

to be retranslated.

When more and more new retranslated versions emerge continually, it is both

good news and bad news for readers. The good news is that a reader will have more

chances to choose, read and enjoy the foreign literature. The bad news is when

facing several or even dozens of translated versions of a novel, how to judge their

qualities and how to choose a proper one becomes a problem for a reader. In addition,

to a translator, how to make his or her own version better than the earlier ones and

how to improve his or her translation level also becomes a challenge. How to solve

these problems is the very source of this thesis.

Among the various genres of literature, novel is the most popular one and has

various special characteristics, such as the broad diction, the character’s language

with abundant individual features, including various language phenomena, and

covering all styles. When translating a novel, a translator need not only transfer the

message of the original text but also reproduce the aesthetic effects which are created

by the use of style and rhetorical devices. Therefore, it is considered as the most

valuable object for translation research. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as one

of the most world-famous classic novels, has been translated into Chinese more than

thirteen times. So, the author of this thesis chooses it and its three Chinese versions

as the objects of a case study. Instead of using the traditional ways of translation

criticism, the author is trying to combine translation with rhetoric and create a new

perspective for novel translation and translation evaluation. The thesis analyses the

rhetorical features of the source text and then makes a comparative study of the three

selected versions from the perspective of rhetoric.

This study has the following significances: first of all, this study can help

readers improve their own judgments on reading foreign literary works. As a reader,

he or she should have their own judgments rather than leave themselves completely

Chapter One Introduction

under the control of translators, especially when facing a variety of versions of the

same novel. Readers’ own judgments not only help them find out the advantages and

disadvantages of different versions but also are helpful for better understanding

foreign literary works and enjoying them. Secondly, through the comparative study

of the three versions, the author can provide translators with some valuable

suggestions on translation and help them improve their translation level in future. It

is the main task that this study intends to achieve. Only by improving their own

translation level can translators provide readers with more high-quality versions.

Thirdly, the way of combining translation with rhetoric in this study is also helpful

for enriching the theory of translation criticism. Evaluating translation from the

perspective of rhetoric is truly a new field of vision for translation criticism and will

be bound to bring about new findings in translation study.

§1.2 The Structure of the Thesis

The thesis consists of seven chapters. The first chapter introduces the source,

significance and the aim of the study. The second chapter is a literature review. In

this chapter, the author makes a review of the researches on rhetorical issues in

translation at home and abroad and the relationship between readers and translation.

The third chapter is the theoretical preliminaries for this thesis. It includes the

definitions of some key terms, Nida’s and Burke’s theories, and the relationship

between rhetoric and translation. The fourth chapter introduces something about the

selected novel—The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, its author—Mark Twain. In

addition, the historical comments on this novel, its rhetorical features and something

about the three selected Chinese versions are also presented in this chapter. The fifth

chapter is the body of this thesis. In this chapter the author makes a comparative

study of the three selected Chinese versions from the aspects as follows: the

narration and its translation, the style of the three versions, and the translation of

other genres of literature, such as letter and poem. Chapter six is a questionnaire to

the target readers so as to testify whether the analyses in chapter five are reasonable

or not. In the last chapter, conclusions are drawn on the basis of the previous

chapters, and some valuable suggestions are put forward for guiding the classic

novel translation and improving translators’ translation levels.

A Comparative Evaluation of Three Chinese Translated Versions of The Adventures of

Huckleberry Finn—A Rhetoric Perspective

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ivAcknowledgementsIthastakenmenearlyayeartoselectthetopic,writeandrevisemythesis.Whenlookingbackonthehardlongjourney,Icanhardlyimaginethecompletionofmythesiswithoutthehelpandencouragementfromsomanypeople.Therefore,Iwouldliketotakethisopportunitytoextendmyheartfeltgratitudetothosewhohaveprovidedmewit...

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