“新”译者的“旧”翻译:奚若译《天方夜谭》

An “Old” Translation by a “New” Translator: Tianfangyetan(The Arabian Nights) Translated by Xi Ruo

1906年由商务印书馆出版的《天方夜谭》是较早问世的《一千零一夜》汉译本,该书虽由受新式教育且通晓英文的奚若翻译,翻译风格却与已负盛誉的林译小说有多方面的相似。本文在对比《天方夜谭》和Edward Forster英文版《一千零一夜》的基础上,结合晚清译界的风气和译者奚若的生平,并参考奚若其他译作的特征推测,《天方夜谭》的翻译风格既受译者个人选择的影响,也是出版机构顺应市场潮流主动经营的结果。该个案既折射出晚清部分小说译者复杂的身份认同,也体现了当时翻译小说的读者需求、出版机构的运营方式等外部因素是如何影响小说翻译的。

Tianfangyetan, published by the Commercial Press in 1906, is an early Chinese translation of The Arabian Nights, and it once had a great influence. Although the book is translated by Xi Ruo, who was well-educated and proficient in English, its style is similar to that of well-known translations by Lin Shu in many aspects. On the basis of the text analysis of Tianfangyetan and the English version translated by Edward Forster, combining with the fashion of the translation circle in the late Qing Dynasty and the life of Xi Ruo, and referring to the characteristics of Xi Ruo’s other translations, we can speculate that the translation style of Tianfangyetan is not only influenced by the translator’s personal choice, but also the result of the publishers’ efficient management in accordance with the market trend. This case reflects the complicated identity of some novel translators in the late Qing Dynasty, and also shows how the external factors such as the needs of the readers and the operation mode of the publishing house affected the texts of fictional translation.