严复信达雅和泰特勒Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance的对比分析_英语论文

A Contrastive Analysis of the Translating Criteria Between Yanfu’s Xin-Da-Ya and Tytler’s Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance

摘要

作为中西传统翻译理论的宝贵遗产，严复的“信达雅”与泰特勒的Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance至今对翻译理论研究仍有积极的借鉴和指导意义。为了能够透彻地理解双方的翻译理论，本文已对严复的“信达雅”和泰特勒的Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance逐一做了较为详细的解说。对于这样的翻译体系，由单一到整体，由里而外的解剖方式，可以更加直观的，自然而然地对两者进行对比。正是由于时代和文化差异，双方在本质上还是存在很多不同点。因而本文主要是在辩证唯物观的角度下详细阐述双方在文字的文化背景、翻译实践经验、思想内容、价值取向、理论演变方面的差异。通过对比分析，从而充分证明“信达雅”与Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance并不是真正意义上的对等。

“信达雅”表面上可以说是Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance的影子，但深层来讲，内容更具体，表现方式更加丰富。双方都要求翻译文本必须忠实于原文内容，思想表达一致，行文流畅易懂。这也是最基本的要求。严复在这基础上较注重文笔和修辞，这也表现出中国人在文字方面的讲究，强调文字也是一种艺术。而泰特勒认为把原文的表现手法和写作手法都能表达出来才是至关重要的。换而言之，西方人重逻辑，却不拘泥于文字的推敲。

本文表面上是在对两种翻译理论进行比较，也更加看出了中西方在文化传统，思维方式方面也有很大的不同。这也是本文的特色所在。

关键词: 信达雅；Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance；辩证唯物观；对比分析  

Abstract

As the precious legacies of the translation theory in China and western countries, both Yanfu’s Xin-Da-Ya and Tytler’s Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance have a positive and far-reaching influence on the translation study so far. To understand their principles in its entirety, this article has made the elaborate explanations one by one. Both of the translation criteria in essence have many differences due to the different times and cultural background. Judging from the dialectical materialist perspective, this article makes a contrastive analysis on their cultural background of characters, practical experience, contents, values, and their evolution. It has been found, through the contrastive analysis, that Xin-Da-Ya hasn’t ever been the equivalence of the Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance in meaning.

In literal sense, Xin-Da-Ya can be the shadow of Tytler’s Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance, but it has more detailed contents and abundant methods. Both of them requires the translation must be faithful to the original work in content and ideas. The translation must be as fluent as it can to make the readers understand. These are the basic requirements. What’s more, Yanfu pays attention to the rhetoric and literal grace. It is obvious to see that Chinese consider the characters as an art. On the contrary, Tytler, focuses on the style and manners of the original work. Therefore, as western foreigners, they prefer to be logic.

This article not only makes a contrastive analysis on the principles, but also shows the differences of the cultural background and modes of thinking.

Key words: Xin-Da-Ya; Faithfulness-Expressiveness-Elegance; Dialectical materialist perspective; Contrastive analysis