伊索寓言的中国化——论其汉译本《意拾喻言》

Aesop's Fables Sinicized:Revisiting the 1840 Chinese Version of Aesop's Fables

英国人罗伯聃(RobertThom)和他的中文老师蒙昧先生合作翻译的《意拾喻言》(1840)是晚清第一个伊索寓言汉译本,问世后受到中国读者、来华传教士和西方汉学家的一致欢迎,维持了60余年的独尊地位。《意拾喻言》的原初功能是充当西人学习汉文词章句读的范例。为此,译者按照汉语言文化的规范,将伊索寓言改写成了流畅、地道、亦庄亦谐的杂录体笔记小说。《意拾喻言》的成功,主要归功于近乎彻底的中国化。这对于我们反思翻译界日渐政治化的归化、异化之争,提供了历史的个案与视角。

Yishi Yuyan,the 1840 Chinese version of Aesop's fables produced by Robert Thom and his Chinese teacher,was the first attempt to introduce Aesop's fables into late Qing China,which proved popular with Chinese readers,China missionaries and Western sinologists.Originally intended as standard texts for European students to learn the art of Chinese composition,the 82 translated fables contained therein have undergone extensive rewriting in accordance with the then norms of Chinese language and culture.The popularity of Yishi Yuyan,attributable to this in-depth sinicization,offers a valuable historical case with which we can problematize the increasingly political reading of 'foreignizing' and 'domesticating' translation strategies.