严复的反常规翻译方法：以《天演论》为例

论文总字数：40052字

摘 要

目的论源于20世纪70年代，是功能主义翻译理论的核心理论。该理论认为翻译不仅仅是语言符号的转换，而且是一项非语言行为。目的是翻译行为的决定性因素，翻译符号的使用是为了达到一定的目的，而且在这一过程中，必然会涉及不同的跨文化模式。翻译目的论的定义是：“在目的语背景下，为目的语的目的和目的语环境中的读者来生产一个文本。”其基本概念是：决定翻译过程的主要因素是整体翻译行为的目的。同时，受众也是翻译行为中的一个关键因素，译者可以根据翻译的目的，结合目的语文化和预期受众的文化知识背景，来调整具体的翻译策略，以实现翻译的功能，即达到译者的翻译目的。

本文以弗米尔的翻译目的论为切入点，以《天演论》为例，结合时代背景等因素，研究了严复的翻译目的及翻译文本的预期受众。同时，本文通过与原文Evolution and Ethics的比较和实例论证，研究严复为实现自己的目的、迎合预期受众所采用的一些反常规翻译方法。

笔者经过研究发现，在翻译Evolution and Ethics时，严复的翻译目的十分明确——警醒世人救国救民，同时其预期受众也极具针对性——受过良好教育并掌权的士大夫阶层。因此较原文而言，严复在结果译文《天演论》中就结构、内容、语言等方面都做出了很多调整，如采用古典文学体裁、增补、加按语等。事实上，这些反常规的翻译策略都是严复为实现其翻译目的，并结合其文本受众所做出的选择。

关键词：目的论；《天演论》；反常规；受众Table of Contents

Acknowledgements i

Abstract ii

摘要 iii

Chapter One Introduction 1

1.1 Background 1

1.2 Significance of the Research 1

1.3 Layout of the Thesis 1

Chapter Two Literature Review 3

2.1 Theoretical Basis 3

2.1.1 Skopos Theory 3

2.1.2 The Relevant Studies 5

2.2 Brief Introduction of Yan Fu’s Tian Yan Lun 5

2.2.1 Brief Introduction of Evolution and Ethics 5

2.2.2 The Influence of Tian Yan Lun 6

Chapter Three Background and Purposes of Yan Fu’s Translation 7

3.1 Social Background 7

3.1.1 International Background 7

3.1.2 Domestic Background 8

3.2 Aspiration for National Reform and Public Enlightenment 9

3.3 Target Readers of Tian Yan Lun 10

Chapter Four Yan Fu’s Unique Translation of Evolution and Ethics 12

4.1 Adopting the Classical Chinese Writing Style 12

4.2 Providing the Preface 14

4.3 Writing Commentaries 15

4.4 Adding Subheadings and Explanations 16

4.5 Using Quotation and Allusion 17

Chapter Five Conclusion 19

5.1 Findings of the Thesis 19

5.2 Limitations of the Research 19

5.3 Suggestions of the Research 20

Bibliography 21

Chapter One Introduction

1.1 Background

Tian Yan Lun is a very crucial and meaningful work in the translation history of China, because it warned China that only the strong would survive the fierce competition among creatures. The author Yan Fu pioneered in appealing to Chinese people to learn from the westerners in the 19^th century. However, compared to the source text Evolution and Ethics, Tian Yan Lun seemed “unfaithful”. Firstly, Evolution and Ethics is about laws of nature and against Social Darwinism, while Yan Fu argued that the mechanism for selecting the superior and eliminating the inferior should be applied to the society. Secondly, Yan used several unconventional approaches in his translation. The thesis is to analyze these unique translation approaches and the reasons.

As a significant branch of the functionalist translation theories, the skopos theory emphasizes translation is an action performed to realize some purpose and the purpose (skopos) determines the translatum (the resulting translated text). The translator can adjust the translation approaches according to the background of the target languages and readers. The thesis is to study Tian Yan Lun from the perspective of this theory.

1.2 Significance of the Research

The skopos theory is closely associated with the practice of translation, and can guide the translators in some aspects. In this article, through the case study of Tian Yan Lun, we can learn the influence and importance of target readers to the translation and hopefully offer a reference to the translators.

1.3 Layout of the Thesis

In the first two chapters, this paper will introduce the research background, explain the skopos theory, and review Tian Yan Lun. After that, it will demonstrate the historical background and the purpose of Yan Fu’s translation. Later, the thesis will give some examples of Yan’s unique translation approaches by comparison and illustration. Then in Chapter Five, a conclusion is given.

Chapter Two Literature Review

2.1 Theoretical Basis

This thesis is based on the skopos theory, a core of functionalist translation theories.

2.1.1 Skopos Theory

Hans J. Vermeer firstly came up with the skopos theory in 1978. The theory considers translation to be a kind of human action with a given purpose, and also highlights the function of the translated text. Moreover, it believes that the final presentation of the translated text and the strategies used to present it should be determined by the ideal function, namely the purpose of the translational action. In short, according to the skopos theory, translation is “to produce a text at a target setting for a target purpose and target addressees in target circumstances” (Vermeer 1987: 29).

Another distinct and important feature of the skopos theory lies in its emphasis on the significance of the translation’s addressees, the target readers. Translation deals with intercultural communication, and as far as this theory concerned, instead of offering the target readers the same information as that in the source text, translation is to explain the information to them and help them understand, with the purpose of translation as the premise. To realize the purpose needs to explain the information in an intended way, which needs to be more acceptable to the target readers. Thereby, the translator should choose specific translation approaches in accordance with the target readers’ cultural background, habits, expectations, and needs, which may well be quite different from those in the source culture.

Generally speaking, the exponents of the skopos theory are convinced that three basic rules should be observed during the translational action.

Skopos Rule

This is the primary and supreme rule of the theory. As translation usually deals with two languages and cultures that may differ in many aspects, the translated text are often not exactly the same as the source text in terms of the transmission of information. In this condition, the translation approaches and strategies (literal translation, free translation, or editing translation, etc.) should be determined by the skopos, which can be understood as the purpose of the translator or his/her client, the intention of the translated text, and the ideal function of the specific translational approaches and strategies used in the translational action. As Vermeer explained,

“Each text is produced for a given purpose and should serve this purpose. The Skopos rule thus reads as follows: translate/interpret/speak/write in a way that enables your text/translation to function in the situation in which it is used and with the people who want to use it and precisely in the way they want it to function.” (Nord 2001: 29)

Coherence Rule

This rule is associated with “intratextual coherence”, meaning the translated text should be internally coherent. As Vermeer puts it, every text is an “offer of information” (Vermeer 1982), so “different receivers (or even the same receiver at different times) find different meanings in the same linguistic material offered by the text” (Nord 2001: 31) given their cultural background, previous knowledge, etc. Therefore a translated text is successful and meaningful only when it is understandable, acceptable and coherent to the target readers and makes sense in their situation. In this way, the translator should extract the information from the source text and process it into the target language in a form the target readers can understand.

For example, the English idiom “Rome wasn’t built in a day” is always translated into Chinese as “冰冻三尺非一日之寒” (It takes more than one day for the river to freeze three feet deep). It is because Chinese culture is less closely linked to Rome than English culture and there is an existing Chinese old saying which can express almost the same meaning. Thereby, the translated text can be well understood and accepted by the Chinese people and makes sense in the Chinese culture.

Fidelity Rule

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