读者需要想象的空间——略论意象翻译

Leaving Some Room for Readers' Imagination——On Imagery Translation

意象是一种形象思维,常通过语言的各种修辞手段表现出来。用语言表达出来的意象蕴涵着丰富文化内容,且特具民族特色,这给翻译工作带来了极为棘手的难题。但随着大众传播媒介越来越普及,跨文化交流的日益扩大,势必影响读者的文化素质不断提高。本文认为翻译工作者不应再充当"保姆"的角色,在翻译意象时,应尽量保留它们的文化内涵,留给读者一些想象空间,具体的方法应以直译为主,辅之以注释法和文外加注法。

Imagery is a mode of thinking by means of image-building. Images thus formed are embodied by figures of speech. Images expressed in language contain rich culturally specific content, characteristic of a certain nation. Images present a hard nut for translators to crack. With the mass media being increasingly popularized, however, cross-cultural communication will be equally on the increase, which will, in turn, improve readers' cultivation. The present paper argues that translators are no longer supposed to assume the role of a caretaker. In translating images, they ought to retain as much cultural content as possible, leaving some room for readers' imagination. The methods suggested in the paper are literal translation, explanatory translation and annotation.