从功能语境重构看译者选择——兼评林戊荪《论语》英译本

Re-contextualization and Translator's Choice in Lin Wusun's Translation of the Analects

林戊荪的《论语新译》是国内最具影响力的《论语》英译本之一,对译本翻译策略、优缺点等进行探讨,有利于推动中国典籍外译进程。本文从系统功能语言学语境理论出发,对该译本的语境重构进行研究。发现译者通过注释等副文本手段对原文的文化语境进行还原和重构,译文具备学术性特点,基本实现了对原文内容的忠实传译;通过词汇语法层的调整,对原文情景语境进行重构,使译文具有学术性、通俗性、时代性的特点;最后通过主位结构等因素的调整进行上下文语境重构,再现原文的行文特点、修辞特色,保持原文的文学价值。对《论语》英译和其他典籍英译有重要的借鉴意义。

Lin Wusun＇ s translation of the Analects is one of the most influential versions produced by Chi- nese scholars; hence studying it systemically and comprehensively is of significance in providing reflections and entailing guidance to the translation of other Chinese Classics. Guided by Context Theory in Systemic Functionat Linguistics, this study focuses on the re-contextualization of Lin＇ s translation. It is found that the translator applies various means to ensure the seriousness and authenticity of the source text in recon- structing the context of culture and makes adaptations on lexico-grammatical level to reconstruct the con- text of situation while making it both more reader-friendly and compatible with the diachronic context. Therefore, the linguistic and rhetoric characteristics of the source text is preserved and restored.