时代背景与译者主体的互动——论赛珍珠《水浒传》英译选材的主体性

Interactions between Historical Background and Translator Subjectivity:On Pearl S.Buck's Subjective Selections in Her Translation of Shui Hu Chuan

赛珍珠选择翻译《水浒传》而非其他中国小说,虽有时代背景方面的考虑,但更重要的是基于她本人对《水浒传》题材和语言风格的钟爱,以及作品本身的社会现实意义。本文从译者主体地位的历史演变和《水浒传》英译的时代背景出发,对赛珍珠在题材选择、内容取舍以及书名翻译等方面的主体性进行了考证,指出她这种以"他者"边缘文化挑战"自我"中心文化的主观努力,无论在当时还是在今天都具有极高的解构主义价值和跨文化对话意义。

Pearl S. Buck＇ s choice of Shui Hu Chuan （All Men Are Brothers, 1933） rather than other classic Chinese novels to translate was based less on considerations of the historical background, in which she lived, than on her personal preferences to the linguistic style and subject matter of the novel and on its realistic and social importance. This paper, starting with a review of the historical evolution of translator＇ s statuses and an analysis of the background in which Shui Hu Chuan was translated, probes into Buck＇s subjectivities regarding her selection of the subject matter, choice of the content, and translation of the title. It concludes that Buck＇s efforts in challenging her ＂self＂ central culture with ＂other＂ peripheral cultures were and are still of great significance as far as deconstruction and intercultural communication are concerned.