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摘 要

托马斯·哈代作为一位横跨两个世纪的作家, 他在英国文学史上起着承上启下的桥梁作用, 因而享有独特的地位, 被誉为是英国文学史上最杰出的作家之一。《德伯家的苔丝》是哈代最具代表性的作品, 它的出世虽饱受争议, 然其折射出的对社会的批判性却促成了当时英国文学的苏醒。诺贝尔文学奖得主克洛德·西蒙称：“《苔丝》是19世纪英国文学的一颗明珠, 它奠定了哈代在英国乃至世界文学的地位。”

这样一部优异的作品经翻译大家之手传入中国势在必行。1936年, 著名翻译家张谷若先生携其译文将苔丝引入中国, 2005年, 孙致礼先生在张谷若的译文基础上进行重译和修饰, 推出了全新的译本。两者的得失无法评估, 然而其作为翻译活动而言却具有巨大的研究价值。

翻译是译者发挥主观能动性再创造的过程, 因此不能抹杀译者的作用。近年来, 翻译在文化交流中的作用日益凸显, 对于译者风格的讨论也迫在眉睫。故, 本文基于贝克所提出的译者风格研究方法对《德伯家的苔丝》两译本的译者风格做出对比研究, 探究其风格差异及成因。

关键词：译者风格；《德伯家的苔丝》；翻译策略；语言特色

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1 Significance of the Research 1

1.2 Objective of the Research 1

1.3 Structure of the Research 2

2. Literature Review 2

3. Translator’s Choice of Tess of the D’Urbervilles 3

3.1 A Brief Introduction of Tess and the Two Selected Translated Versions 3

3.1.1 Brief Introduction of the Content of Tess 3

3.1.2 The Two Selected Versions 4

4. Comparative Studies at the level of Style 4

4.1 Language Features 4

4.1.1 Four-word Idioms and Phrases 4

4.1.2 Annotations 6

4.2 Translation Strategy 6

4.2.1 Domestication and Foreignization 6

4.2.2 Comparative Studies at the Level of Translation Strategy 7

4.3 Analysis of Their Choice of Translation Strategy 8

5. Conclusion 10

5.1 Summary of this Study 10

5.2 Findings and Discussions 10

5.3 Limitations and Suggestions 11

Works Cited 12

1. Introduction

This part clarifies the significance of translator’s style studies translation. On the basis of comparing two versions of Tess, this thesis aims to reveal the correlation between translation and translator’s style, in order to suggest an appropriate way for foreign literature translation.

1.1 Significance of the Research

In the context of globalization, cultural interactions and exchanges are indispensable to each country, and China is no exception. Literature plays a significant role in this trend. Translation has brought different foreign works into China and vice versa. As an element affecting translation, translator’s style should be put into consideration.

As a literary giant in British literature, Thomas Hardy is an accomplished writer who woke up people of that time and thus, plays a leading role in English literature. And Tess, his representative work, reflects his view on revolution and liberation. It also reflects a typical sense in today’s society. The increasing study on the versions of Tess reveals the cherishment and great attention paid by academic and translation field, and in return it has put forward higher requirements for literature translation.

So far, there have been abundant critical studies on different versions of Tess by different translators, among which the versions produced by Zhang Guruo and Sun Zhili received considerable attention. Zhang Guruo, in his translation, adopts literal translation strategy and Sun Zhili, adopts liberal translation strategy. This thesis, with the help of Baker’s translation style research method is to do a thorough research on how translator’s style affects the translation.

1.2 Objective of the Research

This paper aims to analyze Zhang’s and Sun’s versions of Tess from the perspective of translator’s style. Baker holds that translator’s style is a fingerprint expressed through a series of verbal and nonverbal features. Therefore, he puts forward the research method which gives us a standard to follow.

Through the examination and evaluation of the two versions, from the aspects of language features and non-linguistic features, I conclude that Baker’s principle is working well and it can be used as a guideline for people to analyze translator’s style. As well, we may find the potential value hidden behind the versions.

1.3 Structure of the Research

The whole thesis consists of five parts. The first part is introducing the significance, the objective and the structure of the research. Part two gives a presentation of literature review, including the source and definition of translator’s style. Part three addresses the reasons of translator’s choice of Tess. Part four serves as the main body of the research. Here a thorough investigation has been made on the two versions of Tess in terms of language features and translation strategies. The last part is part five, which summarizes the whole thesis that translator’s style can’t be discussed thoroughly without the effect in applying Baker’s principle which is the guideline for us to study translators.

2. Literature Review

In this part, I discuss the source, literature review and definition of translator’s style.

In 60 BC, the founder of western translation theory Cicero investigated the translation style from the perspective of rhetoric. In 1981, Geoffrey Leech and Mick Short conducted a study on the style of literary works from the aspect of linguistics. In Leech’s book Fiction Style, he discussed the style variation of literary language and research methods which studied the dimensional features from 3 aspects, including deviation, identification and literary relevance. And according to them, style analysis usually starts from some features, which’s called style mark. While they also acknowledged that this analysis method was imperfect, mainly due to the lack of context in the chosen excerpt. Such a text style research method has a great impact on Baker’s research.

Mona Baker, in her “literary translator’s style methodology”, pointed out that each translator has his own style, just as passing things will leave trace, translator will leave marks when translating works.

As a result, Baker defined translator’s style as a fingerprint expressed through a series of verbal and nonverbal features.

3. Translator’s Choice of Tess of the D’Urbervilles

Translation is an activity including a series of language conversions, and, in essence, it is also a social and psychological activity. The reason why translation becomes an essential activity in every society is just because of its practical functions. Translation, in different times, with different social and cultural background, bears different functions. Therefore, the translator will inevitably encounter such problems: when, what, how and for whom. In order to answer these questions, the translator must understand well translation process as well as its social background. The options in translation process include: choice of text(the theme of translation), translation strategy(domestication and foreignization), language style and choice of specific word. Thus, translation is a decision-making process within a certain social and cultural framework. Translator’s decision not only depends on his knowledge of languages, but also depends largely on his socio-cultural environment of a certain age.

3.1 A Brief Introduction of Tess and the Two Selected Translated Versions

3.1.1 Brief Introduction of the Content of Tess

Thomas Hardy is an English writer in the 19^th century. He was born in 1840 and died in 1928. In 1891, he published Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Later, this novel becomes his masterpiece in which he creates a woman image who suffers a lot.

Tess comes from a farmer’s family, the Durbeyfields. Her family is poor. One day, her father John hears that they are the descendants of the D’Urbervilles, an ancient family which was famous in England, and her mother persuade her to claim kinship with the remaining D’Urbervilles. As a result, she meets Alec, who shows off the estate and seduces Tess. Then she is pregnant, and gives birth to a child. Unfortunately, the child died. For lacking money, Tess has to leave home and goes to work as a dairymaid at a distant farm, where she meets Angel Claire and quickly, they fall in love. In the wedding night, Tess admits about Alec, but Angel leaves her in disgust. Then Tess returns home alone, only to finds that her family remains impoverished. Then, Alec shows up again and Tess jumps into the trap of shamelessness again. However, Angel, remorseful for his mercilessness, comes back, but find the cruel reality. Tess becomes more desperate, she stabs Alec and kills him. At last, she is hanged.

The profound ideas and vivid language attract more and more readers around the whole world since its publication.

3.1.2 The Two Selected Versions

The Chinese version of Tess translated by Zhang Guruo in 1936 was the first abridged version in China and then in 2005, the version translated by Sun Zhili appeared.

4. Comparative Studies at the Level of Style

4.1 Language Features

4.1.1 Four-word Idioms and Phrases

Chinese idiomatic phrase is defined as a kind of language material refined and polished whose popular appeal comes from its tenseness, vividness and strong expressiveness. Idioms in Chinese are characterized by structural stability. Most of them, about ninety-seven percent, are four-character expressions in form.

The long history of Chinese makes it abundant in idioms. The appropriate use of idioms in expression helps to bring brevity, refinement and vividness, and enrich and enlarge colloquialisms. Four-character phrases fall into two types: four-word expressions and phrases in general. Brief in content, neat in form and euphonious in sound, they are gaining wider acceptance in speech and writing. Equal importance is to be attached to an understanding of the source text and a comprehension of the four-character phrases that we want to use in the translated text, the latter of which is often neglected or taken for granted as Chinese is our mother tongue.

Example 1:

One of the pair was Angel Clare, the other a tall budding creature, half girl, half woman, a spiritualized image of Tess, slighter than she but with the same beautiful eyes of Clare’s sister-in-law, Lisa.

Zhang’s version:

这一对人里面, 一个是安玑·克莱, 另一个是克莱的小姨子丽莎露：只见她身材颀长, 象正要开放的花蕾, 一半少女, 一半少妇, 活活是苔丝的化身, 只比苔丝瘦一些, 却有跟苔丝同样美丽的眼睛。

Sun’s version：

两人中有一个是克莱尔, 另一个则是个含苞欲放的修长的人儿, 半是姑娘, 半是少妇, 是圣洁化了的苔丝的形象, 比她苗条, 却有跟她相同的美丽的眼睛, 那是克莱尔的姨妹莱莎露。

In the two versions, a tall budding creature was translated into “身材颀长, 像正要开放的花蕾” and “含苞欲放的修长的人儿”．Both used four-character phrases and retained the original image. Zhang changed the metaphor into simile. Sun preserved the pre-modification of creature by budding which is foreignizing translation. It remains to be seen whether or not it is acceptable.

Example 2: The stage of mental comfort to which they have arrived at this hour was one where in their souls expanded beyond their skins, and spread their personalities warmly through the room.

Zhang’s version: 他们那时所达到的欢畅阶段是, 神游身外, 脱却形骸, 满眼生花, 满室生春。

Sun’s version: 这时候, 他们已经达到了心旷神怡的阶段, 一个个魂灵超脱了形骸, 在屋里热切的表现自己的个性。

Four four-character phrases are used in Zhang’s translation, which creates artistic images of the men who are half drunk and liquor driven. However, he used “满眼生花” to translate “spread their personalities”, it is not suitable to express the meaning while Sun’s version gives us an appropriate expression successfully with the translation of “表现自己的个性” and only one four-character phrase “心旷神怡”. I do not mean that it is not proper to use the four-character phrases, but it should be used measurably.

4.1.2 Annotations

In Zhang’s version, there are 478 footnotes in total, which includes the translation of the original notes as well as those added by the translators. Compared with Sun’s version, Zhang’s footnotes are more exhaustible and far-ranging. In the abandoned introduction of the first edition, Zhang adds three footnotes. The first one introduced the description of Tess in some journals such as Picture Weekly, Fortnightly Review and National Observatory. The second mainly introduced Hardy and the third is the introduction of Saint Lomu, who is never mentioned in Sun’s version. From Zhang Guruo’s point of view, the writer’s knowledge should be provided for the translator as well as the readers. As a result, he has read all Hardy’s work before his translation. Annotations facilitate readers of the cultural background of writer and extend its literary value on the one hand; and show translator’s responsibility and scientific spirit on the other hand. However, there are only 133 footnotes in Sun’s version which haven’t obstructed him from being a famous translator because he aims to pursue the purity of literature.

4.2 Translation Strategy

4.2.1 Domestication and Foreignization

Domestication has been a fundamental strategy in dealing with cultural factors in the process of translating, with its opposition as foreignization. According to Dictionary of Translation studies published in England in 1997, “domestication translation” and “foreignization translation” directly originated from the German thinkers Schleiermacher’s speech “On the Different Methods of Translating”.

In 1813, Schleiermacher pointed out in his speech that translators should try either to make the readers approach the author without interrupting him or to make the author approach the readers without interrupting them. Lawrence Venuti summarized the two strategies as “foreignization” and “domestication”. The former refers to deviating from the mainstream of native values while keeping in the target language the exoticism of the source language and culture. The latter means making the translation conform to the mainstream of native values, domestic canons, publishing trends and political needs by adopting the means of assimilation.

4.2.2 Comparative Studies at the level of Translation Strategy

Domestication and foreignization have been an area of prolonged dispute in China which can be traced back to the controversy over literal translation and free translation among Buddhist scripture translators. It is widely held that Buddhist scripture translation started from the second century and began to ebb away in the tenth century. It exerted profound influence upon the development of Chinese culture.

According to many critics, Zhang Guruo belongs to the school of domestication or over-domestication. While in my mind, from his use of four-character phrases and notes, he has adopted a domestication strategy with some foreignizing elements. In other words, that’s a translation strategy of equilibrium of domestication and foreignization. Although he has misused many four-character phrases, we can by no means label his version as a domesticated work.

While in his article “China’s Literary Translation: from Domestication to Foreignization”, Sun Zhili argued that with the exception of the fifteen or sixteen years following the May 4 Movement, the first hundred years (from the 1870s to the 1970s) of the history of China’s literary translation was characterized by the domination of strategies of domestication. In the last two decades of the twentieth century, due to the influence of the Western translation theories, China’s translation circles began to reconsider the relationship between foreignization and domestication. As a result, more attention was paid to the strategies of foreignization by the theorists as well translators. There is good reason to believe, therefore, that foreignization will be the preferred strategy of literary translation in China in the twenty-first century.

We can find that Zhang’s version is more idiomatic than Sun’s but falls into more cultural traps, due to too much domestication at the cultural level. Sun’s version keeps more foreign flavor of the original and falls into fewer cultural traps than Zhang’s, but his version is sometimes stiff and awkward because of too much foreignization. In order to do full justice to the two methods, the author arrives at a basic understanding as follows: Foreignizing method is gaining in popularity, functioning as an effective tool for cultural exchange and promoting cultural diversity. Owing to the differences in English and Chinese, foreignizing translation is likely to be an inelegant, even unidiomatic one. This is where domesticating method works. The success in keeping both meaning and language often turns on the effort and capability of a translator. Therefore, responsibility and assiduity are called to produce a translation that not only keeps the form, but also catches its spirit. If we follow the foreignizing method, our translation will be inelegant or unidiomatic at times in which unfamiliar words and sentences are unavoidable. A translator is expected to convey in words and expressions familiar to readers ideas that have never occurred in our mind, a goal elusive, if not unattainable. The dilemma arises when a translator decides whether to sacrifice ideas or language. Domesticating method should be actively employed on the lexical and syntactic level to keep the ideas of the original. But it does not follow that foreignization will do more harm than good when trying to keep the meaning. Adequate foreignizing translation helps to take in certain fresh and forceful expressions of the original, but these expressions, foreign though, should be comprehensible. Foreignizing strategy is primarily aimed at keeping language, imparting the exotic flavor, retaining cultural and stylistic features.

4.3 Analysis of their Choice of Translation Strategy

Social background is an important factor which contains a translator’s choice of a translation strategy. It is a universal truth that “a writer does not write in a vacuum: he or she is the product of a particular culture, of particular moment of time, and the writing reflects those factors such as race, gender, age, class, and birthplace as well as the stylistic, idiosyncratic features of the individual”. Now that it is true of a writer, it is also true of a translator. A literary translator is the very rewriter of the target in a specific cultural context, so he can never escape the shadow and shade of the social context of his time.

One hundred years before the reform and opening up, China’s domestication prevailed in literary translation which is due to current national situation. American translation theorist Andre Livermore believed the two factors affecting the adoption of translation strategy are translator’s ideology which is sometimes his own idea and sometimes imposed by his sponsor and the dominant poetics in target language. Zhang Guruo was living and growing in such a social background. In this phase of history, China’s ruling party has pursued a policy of seclusion because it has been in a closed state for a long time. And Chinese intellectuals formed their ideology in such a context not deliberately manipulate through some ways. Translators usually express his favorable ideology but refuse those they disapprove, which is the reason of domestication. Considering that China is a country of civilization which also makes some intellectuals proud of. As a famous saying goes, I would never exchange the half of A Dream of Red Mansion with all literary classics in the world. Therefore, many translators tend to move closer to Chinese literary tradition when doing translation and giving up the original statement which they are not familiar with. In summary, the exclusion in ideology and egoism in traditional poetics led to the long-flourishing situation of China’s domestication.

In contrast to Zhang Guruo, Sun Zhili was greatly affected by globalization. Since 1980s, China has followed the policy of reform and opening up and globalization has also greeted the world. Due to long years’ development, China has improved its international status, great changes have also taken in people’s ideology. As a result, the dominance of domestication has ceased to exist. Such good circumstances in international environment and domestic policy have provided promising conditions for developing foreignization. But from another perspective, foreignization has many advantages including intercommunication and China’s further advancement.

5. Conclusion

5.1 Summary of this Study

Translation is a cross-cultural communication event, which concerns not only transfer between languages but also transfer between other elements. That is why the translation activity is of great importance. That’s also the reason why we discuss the significant role translator plays in translation.

First, we have concluded the definition of translator’s style through analyzing the definitions of others. According to Baker, the translator’s style means translator’s style as a fingerprint expressed through a series of verbal and nonverbal features.

Then, we select two versions of Tess and introduce Thomas Hardy and the basic content of his work, Tess. In that time, Tess didn’t get enough praises but been criticized because it has attacked the society. However, history witnessed its success in the future and because of this success, Zhang Guruo and Sun Zhili can find it and translated it into Chinese.

Most importantly, we analyze the translator’s style from linguistic features, such as four-word idioms and phrases and annotations, and non-linguistic features, such as social background and translation strategy. In the two versions of Tess, Zhang Guruo and Sun Zhili have expressed their own style and created a wonderful work. In this part, I want to mention an important point, that’s translation strategy, including domestication and foreignization. Through the comparative study of the two versions, we can find it very obvious in their works and thus, we can get a better understanding of these two strategies.

5.2 Findings and Discussions

Thanks to previous and present translation theories on translator’s style, the author makes a systematic discussion of the translator’s style.

First, the definition of translator’s style is hard to get, the author sums up comparatively concise definitions for the experienced translator and find Baker’s definition is the best. As a result, the author has made great efforts to getting a good definition.

Second, though Tess is a well-known British literature, not many people read it. That’s the reason why we need to introduce the content of it. And then, even those who don’t read the book can have a basic understanding of this book and as a result, can be attracted by this study.

Thirdly, the author categorizes some specific translation strategies and illustrates them with specific examples so that to illuminate the ideas like domestication and foreignization.

In sum, translator’s style is really an important topic because it can affect the versions from many aspects. When we learn a translator well, we can find his personality in his work and may help him to improve himself more efficiently.

5.3 Limitations and Suggestions

However, this study is far from perfection. First of all, some examples of certain idea used in this thesis are not demonstrative and typical enough for comparison and evaluation. And then, making a comparative analysis becomes more difficult. Second, this topic is too big a question to be discussed in such a short thesis, although some factors influencing translator’s style are considered, the analysis in this thesis is not comparatively enough. Thirdly, the author makes this study by herself, so it’s unavoidable that the analysis might be more or less subjective.

Considering the limitations of the thesis, the author sincerely hopes that further studies can be made in the future. If this study is helpful, the author will feel greatly grateful.

Works Cited

[1] Baker, M. “Towards A Methodology for Investigating the Style of A Literary Translator.” Target, 2000.

[2] Duff, A. The Third Language: Recurrent Problems of Translation into English. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1981.

[3] Hardy, T, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2006.

[4] Leech, G. N. and M. H. Short. Style in Fiction: A Linguistic introduction to English fictional prose. London: Longman, 1981.

[5] Maeve, Olohan. Introducing Corpora in Translation Studies. London and New York: Routledge, 2004.

[6] (英)哈代. 《德伯家的苔丝》. 张谷若译, 人民文学出版社, 1984.

[7] (英)哈代. 《苔丝》. 孙致礼, 唐慧心译, 中国致公出版社, 2005.

[8] 韩子满. 《文学翻译与杂合》. 中国翻译，2002.

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