论文部分内容阅读
Abstract:Saint Jerome(c.331-c.420AD)’s Vulgate set the acknowledged and unacknowledged standards of much of translation in the west until about two hundred years ago,then the concept of equivalence lies at the heart of what may be called the Jerome model of translation. While Horace (65BC-8BC)held that "fidus interpres"was not faithful to a text,but to his customers,and they were his customers only in his time. The paper is focused on a brieft comparison of Jerome model and Horace model,and the author will give some examples to analyze them.
Key words:comparative;study;Jerome model;Horace model
1、Important Role of These Two Models in Translation
Translation is a rendering from one language into another,i.e.,the faithful representation in one language of what is written or said in another language. As a means of communciation,transaltion plays an important role in human civilization. The process of translation consists of two phases:comprehension and expression. Generally speaking,comprehension is foremost importance,and expression is the natural consequence of thorough comprehension. However,in the practice of translation we may find that now and then some words in their usual senses are very difficult to deal with because of the disparity between the English and the Chinese languages.
Generally speaking,using Jerome model means "alter the original words and sentences."; strictly speaking,it strives "to keep sentiments and style of the original". It takes sentences as its basic units and takes the whole text into consideration at the same time in the course of translation. Furthermore,it strives to reproduce both the ideological content and the style of the original works and retains as much as possible the figures of speech. For example,“三教九流”(the three religions and the nine schools of thought),“四书五经”(the Four Books and the Five Classics),“纸老虎”(paper tiger),“一国两制”(one country,two systems),chain reaction (连锁反应),be armed to the teeth (武装到牙齿),crocodile tears (鳄鱼的眼泪),gentlemen’s agreement (君子协定),and so on.[3]
Using Horace model in translation is an alternative approach which is used mainly to convey the meaning and spirit of the original without trying to reproduce its sentence patterns or figures of speech. This approach is most frequently adopted when it is really impossible to translate the original literally. For example:
Adam’s apple喉结
at sixes and sevens乱七八糟
It rains cats and dogs. 大雨滂沱
Don’t cross the bridge till you get to it.不必担心过早(不必自寻烦恼)
Do you see any green in my eye?你以为我是幼稚可欺的吗?[4]
The above illustrations can not be translated literally,otherwise,the Chinese rendition would make no sense at all,let alone the original meaning.
2、The Study on Jerome Model
It is known that Jerome model is characterised by the presence of a central,sacred text,that of the Bible,which must be translated with the utmost fidelity,and the early ideal of that fidelity was the interlinear translation,in which one word would match another,indeed,in which the translated word would be written under the word it was supposed to translate:
一石二鸟;一箭双雕;一举两得;一并两用儿
Translation:to kill two birds with one stone.
白费力;徒劳;白搭;枉然;突然;事后在作无益的议论
Translation:to flog a dead horse[16]
Today a change is that different types of texts require different translation strategies. Some texts are primarily designed to convey information,and it stands to reason that translations of such texts should try to convey information as well as possible. How they do so in practice will,in each particular case,be the result of assumed or explicit negotiation among the initiators who not only want the text translated,but also want it to function in the receiving culture in a meaningful way,the translator who actually translates it,the culture to which the text belongs,the culture the translation is aimed at,and the function the text is supposed to fulfill in the culture the translation is aimed at:
给我一点爱,还您一片绿
Translation:Love me more,and you'll have a green world in return.[17]
This example imitates a famous English lyric song "Love Me Tender,Love Me More". This imitation has arrived at an amazing effect on the reappearance of the source langue function.
There are also texts that are primarily designed to entertain. They will have to be translated in a different manner,since texts that are primarily designed to convey information,may well also try to entertain their readers,if not only to ensure that the information will be conveyed in the most painless manner possible. Conversely,texts that are primarily designed to entertain,may,and often do,also contain information.[18] Such as:
There is mixture of the tiger and the ape in the character of a Frenchman.
Translation:虎恶狐狡,兼而有之,这就是法国人的性格.[19]
But perhaps more important than the several and separate types is the existance of what can be called a ‘grid’text,the textual grid that a culture makes use of ,the collection of acceptable ways in which things can be said. Different cultures may,of course,make use of essentially the same textual grid. The French,German,and English cultrues,for instance,make use of the same textual grid,with slight variations in emphasis. Other cultures,like Chinese and Japanese culture,have textual grids that are much more unique and not shared with other cultures. These grids are man-made,historical,contingent constructs. The learner of translation should pay more attention to the textual grids than they have in the past,whether they want to learn the technique of translating,or whether they want to analyse translations and the part they play in the evolution of cultures.[20]
To summarize this part that different types of texts require different translation strategies. Translation offers a means of studying cultural interaction that is not offered in the same way by any other field. Translation provides researchers with one of the most obvious,comprehensive,and easy to studylaboratory situations' for the study of cultural interaction. A comparison of original and translation will not only reveal the constraints under which translators have to work at a certain time and in a certain place,but also the strategies they develop to overcome,or at least around those constraints.[21]
4 Conclusion
By comparing the Jerome model and Horace model,the significance and functions of these two models are obvious to see. During the translation process,the translator should comprehend the original thoroughly,then decides to choose properable starategies. Meanwhile,from the above analysis,there is no absolute distinction between Jerome model and Horace model. Some times,in certain texts,the translator even need to combine these two models together to make the translation perfect. Such as,“不到黄河心不死” is translated as “until all is over ambition never dies. The first part uses Horace model (not faithful to a text),but the last part uses Jerome model (equivalent). “搬起石头砸自己的脚” is rendered into “Lifting a rock only to have his own toes squashed.”[22] The first part uses Jerome model,but the last part uses Horace model. Whatever the circumstance are,the translator may alternate or combine these two approaches when it is necessary.
Works Cited:
[1][2][6][8][10][12][13][15][18][20][21] Bassnett Susan,Lefevere Andre,Constructing Cultures Essays on Literary Translation. Shanghai:Foreign Language Education Press,2001,p2; p3-4; p2; p2; p3; p3; p4-5; p4; p3-4; p5; p6.
[3][4][9][14]许建平,英汉互译,实践与技巧(第二版),清华大学出版社,2003,p8; p9; p9; p9-[5][7][11]钱歌川,翻译漫谈,北京:中国对外翻译出版公司,1980,p13; p14; p15.
[16]冯庆华,实用翻译教程,英汉互译,上海:上海外语教育出版社,1995,p42.
[17]唐小田,唐艳芳.“美学视角下的标牌语翻译”〔J〕.《吉首大学学报(社会科学版)》,2005,(5).
[19]杨莉藜,英汉互译教程(上册),郑州:河南大学出版社,1995,p19.
[22]周克希,译边草(增补版),上海:上海三联书店,2008.
Key words:comparative;study;Jerome model;Horace model
1、Important Role of These Two Models in Translation
Translation is a rendering from one language into another,i.e.,the faithful representation in one language of what is written or said in another language. As a means of communciation,transaltion plays an important role in human civilization. The process of translation consists of two phases:comprehension and expression. Generally speaking,comprehension is foremost importance,and expression is the natural consequence of thorough comprehension. However,in the practice of translation we may find that now and then some words in their usual senses are very difficult to deal with because of the disparity between the English and the Chinese languages.
Generally speaking,using Jerome model means "alter the original words and sentences."; strictly speaking,it strives "to keep sentiments and style of the original". It takes sentences as its basic units and takes the whole text into consideration at the same time in the course of translation. Furthermore,it strives to reproduce both the ideological content and the style of the original works and retains as much as possible the figures of speech. For example,“三教九流”(the three religions and the nine schools of thought),“四书五经”(the Four Books and the Five Classics),“纸老虎”(paper tiger),“一国两制”(one country,two systems),chain reaction (连锁反应),be armed to the teeth (武装到牙齿),crocodile tears (鳄鱼的眼泪),gentlemen’s agreement (君子协定),and so on.[3]
Using Horace model in translation is an alternative approach which is used mainly to convey the meaning and spirit of the original without trying to reproduce its sentence patterns or figures of speech. This approach is most frequently adopted when it is really impossible to translate the original literally. For example:
Adam’s apple喉结
at sixes and sevens乱七八糟
It rains cats and dogs. 大雨滂沱
Don’t cross the bridge till you get to it.不必担心过早(不必自寻烦恼)
Do you see any green in my eye?你以为我是幼稚可欺的吗?[4]
The above illustrations can not be translated literally,otherwise,the Chinese rendition would make no sense at all,let alone the original meaning.
2、The Study on Jerome Model
It is known that Jerome model is characterised by the presence of a central,sacred text,that of the Bible,which must be translated with the utmost fidelity,and the early ideal of that fidelity was the interlinear translation,in which one word would match another,indeed,in which the translated word would be written under the word it was supposed to translate:
一石二鸟;一箭双雕;一举两得;一并两用儿
Translation:to kill two birds with one stone.
白费力;徒劳;白搭;枉然;突然;事后在作无益的议论
Translation:to flog a dead horse[16]
Today a change is that different types of texts require different translation strategies. Some texts are primarily designed to convey information,and it stands to reason that translations of such texts should try to convey information as well as possible. How they do so in practice will,in each particular case,be the result of assumed or explicit negotiation among the initiators who not only want the text translated,but also want it to function in the receiving culture in a meaningful way,the translator who actually translates it,the culture to which the text belongs,the culture the translation is aimed at,and the function the text is supposed to fulfill in the culture the translation is aimed at:
给我一点爱,还您一片绿
Translation:Love me more,and you'll have a green world in return.[17]
This example imitates a famous English lyric song "Love Me Tender,Love Me More". This imitation has arrived at an amazing effect on the reappearance of the source langue function.
There are also texts that are primarily designed to entertain. They will have to be translated in a different manner,since texts that are primarily designed to convey information,may well also try to entertain their readers,if not only to ensure that the information will be conveyed in the most painless manner possible. Conversely,texts that are primarily designed to entertain,may,and often do,also contain information.[18] Such as:
There is mixture of the tiger and the ape in the character of a Frenchman.
Translation:虎恶狐狡,兼而有之,这就是法国人的性格.[19]
But perhaps more important than the several and separate types is the existance of what can be called a ‘grid’text,the textual grid that a culture makes use of ,the collection of acceptable ways in which things can be said. Different cultures may,of course,make use of essentially the same textual grid. The French,German,and English cultrues,for instance,make use of the same textual grid,with slight variations in emphasis. Other cultures,like Chinese and Japanese culture,have textual grids that are much more unique and not shared with other cultures. These grids are man-made,historical,contingent constructs. The learner of translation should pay more attention to the textual grids than they have in the past,whether they want to learn the technique of translating,or whether they want to analyse translations and the part they play in the evolution of cultures.[20]
To summarize this part that different types of texts require different translation strategies. Translation offers a means of studying cultural interaction that is not offered in the same way by any other field. Translation provides researchers with one of the most obvious,comprehensive,and easy to studylaboratory situations' for the study of cultural interaction. A comparison of original and translation will not only reveal the constraints under which translators have to work at a certain time and in a certain place,but also the strategies they develop to overcome,or at least around those constraints.[21]
4 Conclusion
By comparing the Jerome model and Horace model,the significance and functions of these two models are obvious to see. During the translation process,the translator should comprehend the original thoroughly,then decides to choose properable starategies. Meanwhile,from the above analysis,there is no absolute distinction between Jerome model and Horace model. Some times,in certain texts,the translator even need to combine these two models together to make the translation perfect. Such as,“不到黄河心不死” is translated as “until all is over ambition never dies. The first part uses Horace model (not faithful to a text),but the last part uses Jerome model (equivalent). “搬起石头砸自己的脚” is rendered into “Lifting a rock only to have his own toes squashed.”[22] The first part uses Jerome model,but the last part uses Horace model. Whatever the circumstance are,the translator may alternate or combine these two approaches when it is necessary.
Works Cited:
[1][2][6][8][10][12][13][15][18][20][21] Bassnett Susan,Lefevere Andre,Constructing Cultures Essays on Literary Translation. Shanghai:Foreign Language Education Press,2001,p2; p3-4; p2; p2; p3; p3; p4-5; p4; p3-4; p5; p6.
[3][4][9][14]许建平,英汉互译,实践与技巧(第二版),清华大学出版社,2003,p8; p9; p9; p9-[5][7][11]钱歌川,翻译漫谈,北京:中国对外翻译出版公司,1980,p13; p14; p15.
[16]冯庆华,实用翻译教程,英汉互译,上海:上海外语教育出版社,1995,p42.
[17]唐小田,唐艳芳.“美学视角下的标牌语翻译”〔J〕.《吉首大学学报(社会科学版)》,2005,(5).
[19]杨莉藜,英汉互译教程(上册),郑州:河南大学出版社,1995,p19.
[22]周克希,译边草(增补版),上海:上海三联书店,2008.