林语堂《浮生六记》自我改译研究——基于两个英译版本的对比分析

A Study of Lin Yutang’s Self-translation-revision in Two English Versions of Six Chapters of a Floating Life

林语堂英译的《浮生六记》在国内外都广受欢迎。中国发行的版本大多以1939年西风社出版的《浮生六记》为依据,而在国外兰登书屋1942年出版了林语堂用英语创作的《中国与印度的智慧》,其中包含的林译《浮生六记》更为英语读者所熟知。通过对比1939年与1942年的版本不难发现林语堂对前译进行了许多修改,这些修改大致可分为两类,即译者对译文的进一步润色以及针对不同的发行环境而对译文进行的修改,涉及措辞置换、句子重组、语篇调整、文化负载话语重译等多个方面。林语堂不厌其改、精益求精的翻译家精神以及对接受语境的精准把握对中国文学“走出去”不无启发。

Lin Yutang's translation of Shen Fu's Six Chapters of a Floating Life has been widely popular both at home and abroad.Most editions released in China are based on the version published by Xifeng Press in 1939,while in the West Lin's translation of this autobiographical prose contained in his English monograph The Wisdom of China and India published by Random House is more familiar to English readers.By comparing the two versions,it can be easily found that Lin Yutang has slightly revised his previous translation.These revisions can be roughly classified into two kinds,namely,those made by the translator because of his pursuit of excellence based on his translation experience and those made to cater to a different publishing environment,which involve many kinds of changes and adjustments on lexical,phrasal,sentential and textual levels.Lin Yutang as a translator,his spirit of pursuing excellence by constant revision as well as his sensitivity to different target environments might shed some light on Chinese literature"going global".