从译者选择的角度解读林语堂的翻译

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3.0 陈辉 2024-11-19 4 4 757.91KB 55 页 15积分
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摘 要
研究“翻译行为所要达到的特定目的”是翻译批评的一种新模式，它以翻译
过程为中心，拓展了翻译研究的视野。翻译过程是一个涉及多种选择的复杂过程，
翻译过程中的选择及翻译行为的目的要受到文本外诸多因素的影响和制约。成功
的翻译不再是原文与译文的封闭性转换，译者的文化取向和对原著的选择，译者
的翻译目的和翻译策略，翻译态度等，都属于批评的范畴。文学作品的译者跟原
作者应该心意相通，必须有自己明确的选择原著的标准。译者并非盲目地选择原
著和翻译策略，而是由其翻译目的所决定的。翻译目的受制于译者的文化态度和
文化取向，翻译目的又操纵着译者对原著的选择和翻译策略的运用，由此造成译
文各自鲜明的语言风格，进而影响译本的流行。
林语堂先生用他那“极其美妙，令以英语为母语的人既羡慕钦佩又深感惭愧”
的精纯娴熟的英语向西方介绍中国文化，因为林氏高超的艺术造诣和非凡的文化
修养，他的一系列作品曾经轰动欧美文坛，并且影响深远，一直被看作阐述东方
文化的权威著述。虽然林语堂的主要着力点在文学创作，但在其沟通中西文化的
过程中，不可避免地要借助翻译这一媒介。其用英语创作的一系列作品，诸如，《吾
国与吾民》，《生活的艺术》，《京华烟云》，《苏东坡传》等，含有大量中国古典诗
词曲赋及散文的英译，翻译时时渗透在其英语创作之中，成为其作品的有机组成
部分。另外，他还用优美的文笔英译了许多中国古典文学作品，如《浮生六记》，
《中国古文小品英译》,《英译老残游记及其他》等。在其大量翻译实践的基础上，
林语堂对翻译也提出了许多真知灼见，包括文学作品的可译性限度、对译者的要
求、翻译过程、翻译标准等。他的这些见解对研究我国的传统译论具有很好的参
考价值。
本文尝试性地运用上述译者选择的原理来解读林语堂先生的翻译思想及其译
作取得成功的内在原因。作为作家和翻译家的林语堂，他的翻译有其明确的目的，
那就是向英语读者大力推介中国的优秀传统文化，尤其是中国文化中尽情地享受
自然和艺术之美的恬淡而有情趣的生活。从文化交流的角度看， 林语堂的翻译是
极其成功的。他成功地通过翻译，将中国传统文化的精髓传播给了英语世界，在
他个人的与目标读者的审美观念中找到了最佳契合点。具体说来，他的成功是由
两方面因素构成的，那就是对原著的精心选择和对翻译策略的精心选择。。
沿着这样的思路，本文试图从林语堂先生的文化观出发，重点探讨其翻译目
的对选择原著文本和翻译策略的影响，并结合林语堂对翻译的主张，中英译作的
总体特色，结合文本内与文本外两个因素，从动态和静态的层面来探讨林语堂先
生的翻译思想。
本文共分为五部分. 第一部分,介绍林语堂先生的学术成就及翻译批评的两
种操作方式; 第二部分,阐述林语堂对我国传统文化和西方文化的观点及形成原
因; 第三部分,探讨林语堂的翻译目的及他的翻译目的对选择原著文本的影响,
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并比较了作为翻译家的鲁迅和林语堂不同的翻译目的; 第四部分, 说明不同的
翻译目的使得鲁迅和林语堂选择了截然不同的翻译策略，并导致他们的译作出现
不同的语言风格; 第五部分,阐述林语堂对翻译的主张, 并尝试性地对其翻译思
想作出评价，最后简要归纳林语堂英汉译作的总体特色。
关键词：文化观 翻译目的 原著选择 翻译策略选择
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ABSTRACT
The new mode of translation criticism focuses on the specific purpose the translating
activity is to attain. It centers on translation process and widens the horizon of
translation studies. The process of translation is complex and involves various selections.
The selections made in the translation process and the purposes behind every single
translation action are both influenced and constrained by a variety of extra-textual
factors. Good translation is not merely closed transformation from the source text to the
target text. The following elements of the specific translator, e.g., cultural attitude,
translation purpose, selection of ST, translation strategy application, even his subjective
translation attitude, etc, play their essential parts in the translation process. The
translator of literary works should have a thorough understanding of the style of the
source texts. While choosing source texts and translation strategy, the translator is not
acting blindly; rather the translation process should be guided by his translation purpose.
The translator’s cultural attitude determines his translation purpose, which in turn
manipulates his selection of the source texts and translation strategy. The application of
different translation strategies brings about distinctive linguistic features in the
translation, which explains why some translators tend to produce fluent translations but
others do not.
Mr. Lin Yutang introduced the traditional Chinese culture to the people of English
speaking world in their own language that is “at once their envy, admiration and
despair”. Because of his superb command of the two languages and extraordinary
literary cultivation, his series of works written in English were well received in the West.
His works had a far-reaching significance as to be considered as authoritative writings
on Oriental culture. Although most of Lin’s efforts were in literary writing, he would
inevitably resort to translation as a medium of exchange during the process of bridging
the East and West. His series of works in English, such as My Country and My People,
The Importance of Living,Moments of Peking
，
The Gay Genius, etc, include lots of
translations of Chinese classical poems and prose. The Translation of classical Chinese
literature infiltrates in his English writings to such an extent that his translations become
inseparable parts of his writings. Moreover, he translated several volumes of books into
English, e.g. Six Chapters of a Floating Life, The Importance of Understanding:
Translation from the Chinese, A Nun of Taishan and Other Translations,The Wisdom of
Laotse, etc. Based on his abundant translation practice he proposed his pioneering ideas
on translation studies. His translation approach touched upon a wide range of aspects,
including translatability of literary works, requisites for translators, translation process,
translation criteria, etc. All these signify his academic far-sightedness, which has a good
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reference value to our understanding of traditional translation studies.
In light of the above-mentioned theoretical background of the translator’s selections,
the paper attempts to expound Lin Yutang’s translation approach and the underlying
reasons for his success in translation. As a great literary figure Lin Yutang had his
explicit purpose for his translation, that is, to disseminate the essences of traditional
culture, especially the simple and idyllic way of life enjoying the beauty of nature and
art, to the West. His translation is extremely successful from the angle of cultural
exchange for he has succeeded in communicating the cream of traditional Chinese
culture to his target audiences with his trenchant English. Two elements led to his
success, that is, the meticulous selection of the source texts and the elaborate selection
of the translation strategy.
Based on Lin Yutang’s cultural attitude, what this paper mainly elaborates is his
translation purpose and its constraints on Lin’s selections of the source texts and
application of translation strategy. In addition, this paper also inquires into Lin Yutang’s
translation approach and general features of his translation. Combining the extra-textual
factors and intra-textual factors, this paper attempts to study Lin Yutang’s translation
approach from the dynamic and static angles.
This paper consists of 5 parts. Part one includes Lin’s literary achievements and the
clarification of the two modes of translation criticism; Part two illustrates Lin’s cultural
attitude and its formation process; Part Three discusses Lin’s translation purpose, his
selection of the source texts, then compares Lin’s translation purpose with that of Lu
Xun; Part Four clarifies two types of translation strategies, then compares the translation
strategy of Lin Yutang with that of Lu Xun; Part Five summarizes Lin’s translation
approach and features of Lin’s translation.
The following diagram illustrates the organization of this paper.
Selection of
Source Texts
Translation
Purpose
Selection of
Translation
Strategy
Cultural
Attitude
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Note: The symbol “ ”in the diagram means “ Determines”
Key words: Cultural Attitude, Translation Purpose, Selection of ST,
Selection of Translation Strategy
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Chapter 1. Introduction
§1 .1 Lin’s Literary Achievements
There are times in our lives when we need someone to turn to---someone who can
help us interpret life, and from whom we can realize the essence of living. Lin Yutang is
such a person. His blend of wisdom and humor, on subjects as varied as love, literature,
education, culture, death, and power, endeared him over the years to hundreds of readers.
With the encouragement of his friend Pearl S. Buck（赛珍珠）, Lin Yutang published My
Country and My People, which was a humorous and serious attempt to introduce his
country to the West. The book was an instant success in the United States. His English
was described by a critic as “certainly the very best any Chinese has ever written”1.
However, Lin was fiercely attacked for this book by some Chinese scholars who
disliked his brutally honest presentation of Chinese culture. Against their criticisms, Lin
quoted Confucius to defend himself: “Truth does not depart from human nature, if what
is regarded as truth departs from human nature, it may not be regarded as truth”.
Although Lin's publication of My Country and My People was not the beginning of
his career as a literary writer, it was the beginning of his identification in the West as a
cultural interpreter. My Country and My People
（《吾国与吾民》）
,the Importance of
Living(
《生活的艺术》
)all made great hits in the West and were translated into many
other languages. His other works like Leaf in the Storm
（《风声鹤唳》）
,The Vermillion
Gate
（《朱门》）
, The Gay Genius
（《苏东坡传》）
, The Wisdom of Laotse (
《老子的智
慧》
), The Wisdom of Confucius
（《孔子的智慧》）
all exerted great influence on the
western readers. Lin was twice nominated as a candidate for Nobel Prize in literature for
his novel Moments in Peking(
《京华烟云》
). His lacerating wit earned him the reputation
as enfant terrible and “Master of Humor”. Fully aware of the merits and defects of the
Eastern and Western civilizations, he relentlessly and incessantly labored to bridge these
two civilizations.
With his animated synthesis of wisdom and humor, Lin expounded a philosophy for
living. He declared unabashedly that the purpose of life was to enjoy it. He came down
hard on insensitivity, inhumanity, complexity and dogmatism. But at the same time he
was tolerant of human imperfections and understood the follies of humanity. He sought
not a perfect world, but one in which the “Spirit of Reasonableness” prevailed. In the
contemporary history of cultural exchange between the West and China, there are quite
a number of scholars who have exerted great efforts to introduce Chinese culture to the
West so as to facilitate Westerners’ understanding. Among them, Lin Yutang is an
1A..J. Anderson. The Best of an Old Friend---Lin Yutang.,
摘要：

4摘要研究“翻译行为所要达到的特定目的”是翻译批评的一种新模式，它以翻译过程为中心，拓展了翻译研究的视野。翻译过程是一个涉及多种选择的复杂过程，翻译过程中的选择及翻译行为的目的要受到文本外诸多因素的影响和制约。成功的翻译不再是原文与译文的封闭性转换，译者的文化取向和对原著的选择，译者的翻译目的和翻译策略，翻译态度等，都属于批评的范畴。文学作品的译者跟原作者应该心意相通，必须有自己明确的选择原著的标准。译者并非盲目地选择原著和翻译策略，而是由其翻译目的所决定的。翻译目的受制于译者的文化态度和文化取向，翻译目的又操纵着译者对原著的选择和翻译策略的运用，由此造成译文各自鲜明的语言风格，进而影响译本的...

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