译者主体性在《红楼梦》译作中的体现

论文总字数：29259字

摘 要

《红楼梦》是中国四大经典名著之一，是一部反映中国封建社会、文化、历史和生活的百科全书，至今已被翻译成许多版本。《红楼梦》的翻译不仅对促进中外文化的交流，介绍中国的古典文化遗产，而且对译者主体性的研究也具有重要意义。本文通过对比《红楼梦》霍译和杨译两个译本来研究译者发挥主导作用在两个方面的体现：即译者主体性因素在翻译过程中的主动发挥和译者主体性对外部因素的自觉反应。

关键词：译者主体性; 红楼梦;霍译; 杨译

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 1

3. Translator’s Subjectivity 2

4. Translator’s Subjectivity in Two English Translations of Hong Lou Meng 4

4.1 Predominance 5

4.2 Subject consciousness 7

4.3 Conscious reaction 8

5. Conclusion 11

Works cited 13

1. Introduction

With the deepening of translation studies, more and more scholars have realized that viewing translation activity as a dynamic process instead of a static phenomenon is an important theory to the study. The translator’s dynamic effect in translation can be found. As an individual, his/her subjectivity can unavoidably be displayed in the translation process. His/her motivation, purpose, strategies, competence greatly influence on the translation. The translator as an individual decides how to carry out a specific translation assignment, and translators as a whole have an important role, which promotes intercultural communication and facilitates the development of human culture.

However, up to now most researches which are focused on the translator keep only a watchful eye on his/her linguistic competence, translation skills and functions in cultural communication, but scarce attention has been paid to the influences of translators who display the role of crucial human. They have an impact on the translation process with his/her motivation, cultural orientation, value, historicity and translation purpose, etc. Therefore, this paper is studied to indicate translator’s an increasingly important role in the practice of translation. The factors of translator’s subjectivity play an essential function and it consciously react to external factors.

2. Literature Review

In traditional translation studies happening in the 1950s, translation theories which include the linguistic theory of translation are limited in the requirements for the translation standard. To meet the translator’s subjective ideal standard, many factors can be ignored. Especially, the translator, who is the main body of translation, has very close relations with the text, other translators and social cultures. (Ge Xiaoqin, 2006: 18) Nevertheless, translators are put on a subordinate and secondary position in the real translation practice. They are vividly called cultural porters and translation machines to indicate their roles in the process.

In the 1980s and 1990s, translation studies stepped into post-modern age when the development of post-structuralism, feminism and post-colonialism broke through the traditional theory of The Original Text. Gradually, the translator, who was misunderstood or shelved under the pressure of traditional translation theories, gradually appeared to be the subject at the translation stage.

Besides, with the change of the translation studies’ direction and the expansion of translation studies’ view in recent years, researches on the translator’s subjectivity also have made enormous achievements and drew international scholars’ attentions. Heidegger and Gadamer’s Modern Hermeneutics mentioned many concepts including misreading, fusion of horizons and creative treason to show translator’s initiative. Bassnett and Lefevere, the main representatives of Manipulation School believed that the translation process reflected translators’ understanding about the original work.

Impacted by the western translation, academic scholars had a growing awareness that they should attach importance to the great role of the translator in the process of translation which centered on individual thought and creativity. Yang Wuneng once put forward the opinion that translator undoubtedly occupied the central ground of translation and played the most active role in literary translation activities. (Yang Wuneng 1987: 5) Yuan Li also pointed out that the merits of translation depended largely on the translator’s consciousness. (Yuan Li 1996: 12) If this point was neglected, the fundamental problems of translation would not be solved by translation studies. From these studies it can be safely concluded that the status of translators has received high attention and concern.

3. Translator’s Subjectivity

In the translation field, the definition of translator’s subjectivity has not been unified. Currently, there are two ways defining translator’s subjectivity in the academic field. In the broad sense, translation is a systematic theory, involving the interaction between author and translator and native culture and the target culture, which are essential elements in translation practice. As the translator is a main part of interaction, other elements consist of translators’ identities and are objectified by the translator. In the narrow sense, translator is considered to be the subject of translation. It is the embodiment of translator’s personality and creativity in the process of translation. These two definitions can be summarized as the two ideas that one is that the translator is the subject; and the other is that translator, translation, the original text, and the readers are the main body of translation.

Many scholars try to define translator’s subjectivity. Xu Jun thinks that translation subjectivity refers to the translator’s conscious personality in art throughout the practice of translation, whose core is the translator’s aesthetic value and creativity. (Xu Jun 2003: 9) Tu Guoyuan believes that translator’s subjectivity means that the translator showed subjective initiative featured by the initiative, purpose and creativity. (Tu Guoyuan and Zhu Xianlong 2003: 8) Nevertheless, Chen Daliang explains the definition from the prospective of philosophy that subjectivity is a dialectic unity of initiative and passivity and can make a real difference closely related to the object. (Chen Daliang 2003: 5) Zha Mingjian and Tian Yu hold that translator’s subjectivity means that the translator as the main body of translation gives play to his subjective initiative under the premise of basing on the original text to realize the purpose of translation during the period of translation practice, which features the subject consciousness and creativity. It is manifested through the ability of translator in many ways such as the understanding, interpretation and artistic creation in the level of language of the original text and the control of expected cultural effects. (Zha Mingjian and Tian Yu 2003: 22) Liu Junping argues that the translation is a process that the translator creatively gives play to his subjective consciousness in the translation practice and becomes unique in terms of translation strategies and methods. (Liu Junping 2008: 53)

In fact, the meaning of the text must depend on readers’ reading and the acceptance of translation becomes the main part of successful translation. As to an original text, the author is the subject of creation and readers is the subject of acceptance. The original text firstly is translated by a translator and then becomes translation and thus is read by the target readers. Therefore, the translator has two identities. One is the reader of the original text who is the subject of acceptance and the other is the subject of translation. In conclusion, translator’s subjectivity includes the subjectivity of acceptance and creation. The subject of acceptance is reflected in the translator’s understanding and interpretation of the original text. The translator is required to mobilize his own aesthetic, emotion, will, and imagination so that he can understand the so on literature ability and knowledge structure with the original text dialogue with the original text. He also needs to develop his ability of literary appreciation and literary criticism, excavate the ideological connotation and aesthetic implication of the original text and analyze its literary value and social significance. The subject of creation is reflected in the process of translation. The translator needs to make him aware of the understanding and interpretation and aesthetic appreciation of the original text and use his language competence in the process of accepting and translating the selected text. Considering the expectation of the potential readers, he adopts corresponding translation strategies in order to achieve the translation purpose. People in this world are always subject to certain relations and social relations.

The author holds that translator’s subjectivity means that translator shows his initiative and creativity in the process of translation in which translator’s subjectivity plays an active role and it can consciously reacts to external factors.

4. Translator’s Subjectivity in Two English Translations of Hong Lou Meng

Hong Lou Meng is characterized by a long-lasting artistic charm and literary appeal known as a Chinese encyclopedia which reflects the life in the feudal society. Hong Lou Meng not only attracts thousands of Chinese scholars and readers, but also draws widespread attentions of foreign ones. It has become one of the most influential books in the world. Since the advent of the novel it has been translated into many versions in different languages​​, in which the readers from all the world have widely recognized the two visions, The Story of the Stone translated by David Hawkes and his son-in-law John Minford and A Dream of Red Mansions translated by Yang Hsien-yi and his wife Gladys. Great contributions have been made by them to the transmission of Chinese culture. The differences of the two visions in styles reflect distinct features of the translator’s subjectivity. By comparing the two visions, this paper tries to study the subjectivity from the views of translator’s leading role and his conscious reaction to the extern factors in the translation practice.

4.1 Predominance

Translator’s subjectivity is reflected in many aspects, such as translation strategies, translation methods and language styles. Different purposes lead to different translation theories. Because the audience Hawkes serves is the ordinary English readers rather than academic researchers, he takes naturalized translation strategies and translation methods to appeal to target readers. However, Yang Hsien-yi and his wife Gladys are aimed at reproducing the artistic and cultural values of the original work which promote the culture and lift the position of its self-image in the multicultural world. When they are engaged in the translation, they add the factors of the comparison between different cultures and the purposes of cultural communication into the translation. Therefore, they take literal translation. The two different translation theories show the predominance of the translator. For example, the English translations of the name of Hong Lou Meng are different. Yang Hsien-yi translates the name into A Dream of Red Mansions, and Hawkes translates it into The Story of the Stone.

The word “Red” in China reminds people of prosperous and happy sentences, which show their pursuit of spirit. Yang Hsien-yi translates the name into A Dream of Red Mansions with foreignizing translation strategy to keep indigenous culture. The strategy adopted by Yang Hsien-yi benefits the transmission of Chinese traditional culture.

However, the culture of English-speaking countries comes from the Greek and Roman culture and the Bible. In the western countries, people believe in the Bible and reinvest the thing related to the Bible with some specific cultural connotation. Therefore, the word “Red” makes the western people think of the warning and dangerous images. Hawkes is seriously affected by western Christianity. When he tries to translate the title, he avoids using the unlucky word. Instead, he translates it into The Story of the Stone, which keeps the original cultural connotation and also makes target readers avoid cultural misunderstandings and cultural conflicts. The following examples also reflect the predominance of the translator.

你倒也三从四德的，只是这贤惠也太过了。（《红楼梦》第四十七回）

Yang’s translation: Quite a model of wifely submission and virtue, aren’t you？

Only you carry this obedience too far.

Hawkes’s translation: I must congratulate you on your wifely virtue-though I must say, that in this case you are carrying wifeliness a little far.

（贾雨村）虽才干优长，未免有些贪酷之弊；且恃才侮上，那些官员皆侧目视。（《红楼梦》第二回）

Yang’s translation: But although a capable administrator, Yucun was grasping a ruthless, while his arrogance and insolence to his superior made them view him with disfavor.

Hawkes’s translation: But although his intelligence and ability were out standing, these qualities were unfortunately offset by a certain cupidity and harshness and a tendency to use his intelligence in order to out with is superiors; all of which caused his fellow-officials to cast envious glances in his direction.

In China’s feudal society, the hierarchy is obvious and thus the status of women is very low. People attach more importance to women’s virtue. Yang Hsien-yi adopts foreignization to briefly translate the phrase into wifely submission and virtue in the first example. However, in the tradition of western culture, the idea of human equality appeared as early as ancient Greece, and was strengthened in the Renaissance. The version of Hawkes only translates the word virtue and deliberately ignores the translation of submission, which is a reflection of indirectly resisting inequality and using domestication. The different translations of obedience and wifeliness indicating the same word also have the same reasons.

Besides, in ancient China, the idea of status is very serious. The restraining personality is viewed as a virtue, but arrogance is always criticized. On the contrary, western culture advocates equality and personality publicity. It is interesting to note that Yang Hsien-yi and Hawkes have opposite attitudes toward the character of Jia Yucun. Yang Hsien-yi chooses derogatory term to describe the image, whereas Hawkes choose neutral or positive words intelligence and outwit to depict that. In the view of two English translations related to the moral praise and orientation, there is a certain relationship with the moral concept of the translator himself.

4.2 Subject consciousness

Subject consciousness of translators is mainly reflected in their personality, creativity and aesthetic awareness. The process and result of translation are tightly tied to subject consciousness of translators. Therefore, it is very important to give full play to the translator’s consciousness to enhance readability. The consciousness of personality is translators’ high requirement of achieving their own values which affects their creation and pursuits of aesthetic values. For example, Hawke translates Zang Hua Ci creatively.

花谢花飞飞满天，

红消香断有谁怜。

游丝软系飘春榭，

落絮轻沾扑绣帘。（第二十七回）

The blossoms fade and falling fill the air,

Of fragrance and bright hues bereft and bare?

Floss drifts and flutters round the Maidens Bower,

Or softly strikes against her curtained door. (Hawkes)

Chinese poetry in the original text uses the rhetoric. The last words in every sentences rhyme. When Hawkes translates this poem, he uses iamb creatively to make every sentence have the same word counts. The consonants f appears three times and the chosen words are long vowel or diphthong, which are like people’s sigh. This translation has the same artistic effect with the original text. Hawkes’s creative translation conveys the ideological implication of the original text. Therefore, subject consciousness of translators can greatly improve the quality of versions and make Hong Lou Meng more popular with the readers throughout the world.

Aesthetic consciousness, a form of reflecting beauty, is made of aesthetic judgment, tendency and experience. The two different English versions of Hong Lou Meng show the significant impact of aesthetic consciousness on literary translation. For example, Hawkes translates Wang Xifeng’s appearance in an aesthetic form.

一双丹凤三角眼,

两弯柳叶吊稍眉,

身量苗条,

体格风骚,

粉面含春威不露,

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