基于语料库的中医脉象术语英译标准化研究——以七绝脉英译为例

Corpus-Based Study on Standardization of English Translation of Pulse Condition Terms in TCM:A Case Study of The Seven Moribund Pulses

目的:以七绝脉例,探讨中医脉象术语英译标准化。方法:检索1980—2017年国内外出版的18部中医术语英译词典,建立七绝脉英译术语小型语料库。在把握术语内涵的基础上,结合牛津高阶词典英文解释,分析七绝脉不同英译版本的差异,并提出较佳译法。结果:七绝脉术语英译版本众多,其中部分术语英译分歧较小,仅存在选词差异;部分术语英译分歧较大,译法多样,选词丰富。七绝脉脉象术语较佳译法:七绝脉译法为“seven moribund pulses”,鱼翔脉译法为“fish-swimming pulse”,虾游脉译法为“shrimp-darting pulse”,屋漏脉译法为“leaking roof pulse”,雀啄脉译法为“sparrow-pecking pulse”,釜沸脉译法为“bubble-rising pulse”,弹石脉译法为“flicking stone pulse”,解索脉译法为“untwining rope pulse”。结论:翻译七绝脉术语时,要在充分理解七绝脉命名特点和医学内涵的前提下,将术语英译的对应性原则置于首位,其次应考虑回译性和约定俗成原则;同时,从构建具有中国特色的中医药文化海外传播术语体系的角度,翻译此类脉象时应优先选择直译法,以最大程度保留中医特色。

Objective:To discuss the standardization of English translation of pulse condition terms in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).Methods:The present study retrieved 18 English dictionaries of TCM terms published at home and abroad in the past 40 years(1980-2017)and built a small corpus based on the English versions of seven moribund pulses or seven jue mai.The authors made a comparative analysis on the main differences among the existed English versions of each moribund pulse and tried to point the most appropriate translated version by combining the explanation from Oxford English Dictionary.Results:The study found that there are many versions of the English translation of seven moribund pulses terms,some of which have little differences in English translation and only difference in word selection;some terms have large differences in English translation,with various translation methods and more abundant word selection.Based on careful analysis,the better translations proposed in this study are as follows:seven moribund pulses(七绝脉),fish-swimming pulse(鱼翔脉),shrimp-darting pulse(虾游脉),leaking roof pulse(屋漏脉),sparrow-pecking pulse(雀啄脉),bubble-rising pulse(釜沸脉),flicking stone pulse(弹石脉),untwining rope pulse(解索脉).Conclusions:It's conclude that correspondence principle should be given the first priority,followed by back-translatability and convention in the translation of these terms on the pre-condition of fully recognizing the uniqueness of these pulses nomenclature.In addition,literal translation is preferable from the perspective of discourse right to maintain the feature of TCM.