“色”、“刀”或是“巴刀”——从关联翻译理论看《镜花缘》四关关名之译

Lust,Knife,or Pa-Tao:The Translation of the Names of the Four Passes in Jing Hua Yuan from a Perspective of Relevance Theory of Translation

《镜花缘》中的四关名称,饶有趣味,又蕴含深意:一则对应五行,二则反映四关的内容和本质。根据关联翻译理论,林太乙与张心沧对四关名称的翻译都没有达到充分的语境效果。由于中英文字与文化的差异,翻译四关名称时,完全展现其中的文化意象实属理想,但是获取最佳关联性,是可以做到的。

The names of the four passes in Jing Hua Yuan are interesting and significant, which not only reflect the content and nature of the four passes, but also are connected with Wu Xing theory. According to the principles of the relevance theory of translation, both Lin Tai-yi and H. C. Chang fail to provide a translation of these names pro- ducing adequate contextual effect. Due to the differences in language and culture between China and the West, it is almost impossible to translate completely the Chinese cultural elements into English. Yet, it is possible to achieve the optimal relevance in translating the names of the four passes.