让翻译“动”起来——钱钟书的语言之“动”与曹丕之“文章”和“作者”的翻译

Howto Make Translation Lively ?: The English Translation of wenzhang and zuozhe

按照钱钟书先生对"画有六法"的解读,一向被视为一个抽象概念的名词词组,恢复到它的动词的情态,可以显现出汉语的表达力量。这样的解读,因而也就成为一种方法论,可以作为理解汉语经典的一个法则。曹丕《典论·论文》之中的"文章"和"作者"二词也应如此解读,即将"章"读为"卓著"或"彰显","作"视为"创作"之"起"。在汉译英翻译中,从名词到动词的这种还原,依据的是词源学的意义,而语境本身的指向会决定这种意义的历史性。因而,这样的解读法,不仅能够纠正以往的译文,还可能为未来的重译创造条件。

In accordance with Qian Zhongshu＇s reading of the ＂ Six Principles of Painting,＂ conventional abstract nominal phrases should be reduced to its primordial state as a noun, showing the power of Chinese language. Such a reading can therefore be held as a methodology or a maxim in the reading of Chinese classics. And the article ＂On Writing＂ in On Classics by Cao Pi should be interpreted in this way, with the word 章 in the 文章 read as ＂revealing＂ or ＂distinguishing,＂ and 作 in 作者 as the ＂starting＂ of a ＂creative activity.＂ The reduction from a noun to a verb in the translation from Chinese into English, supported by the etymological meaning, is shaped by the context of a given word in the intent of the latter＇s historical meaning. This reading can not only correct the mistakes in the past translations concerned, but also create a condition for future renditions.