典籍的翻译与研究——《楚辞》几种英译本得失谈

Research-Based Translation of Chinese Classics——A Comment on Advantages and Disadvantages of Some English Versions of Chuci

文章以《楚辞》英译为例 ,讨论中国典籍翻译所取得的成绩和存在的问题 ,指出对典籍缺乏研究的翻译在一定程度上影响了译本的质量 ,主要表现在 :1 )原文本的多科性、多义性没有被很好传达 ;2 )译本没能反映原文本研究的新成果 ;3 )译者对原文本理解尚有错误。在此基础上 ,文章认为佛经汉译的经验对中国典籍外译具有参考价值 ,并对典籍翻译提出了几点建议。

This paper discusses the achievements together with problems in rendering Chinese classics into English versions with the example of Chuci, pointing out that research-lacking translation of the classics brings down the qualities of their rendered versions, which carry the following disadvantages: 1) The multi-disciplinary original texts are much restricted in their English versions; 2) The English versions fail to reflect the new findings in the original texts; 3) Translators misunderstand the original texts in their own ways. Based on these comments, this paper has proposed some suggestions hinted from our predecessors' successful experiences of rendering Buddhist suttas into Chinese versions.