茅盾《春蚕》中的嘉兴民俗文化英译策略——以王际真译本为中心的考察

English Translation Strategies for Jiaxing Folk Culture in Mao Dun’s Spring Silkworms:A Case Study of Chi-Chen Wang’s Version

参照艾克西拉文化专有项翻译策略分类法,考察茅盾《春蚕》王际真英译本中的嘉兴民俗文化英译策略。结合译本翻译策略频次统计,一方面从微观层面以实例分析译者的具体决策过程,另一方面从宏观视角观察译者的全局策略。结果表明:制约译者翻译决策的因素有层级性,译者首先受制于目的语文学价值观,以压缩、删减为全局策略促成《春蚕》在英语世界的传播与接受,其次保留原文民俗中的蚕事语言及蚕事仪式类民俗,从整体效果上再现嘉兴民俗的“地方色彩”;译文总体倾向于使用文化替换类策略,译者灵活使用多种翻译方法以兼顾译文的可接受性与充分性。王译本并没有追求保留或直译每个民俗文化专有项,而是以民俗文化专有项的整体效果为出发点进行选择性翻译,从而实现源语文化的有效传播。

This paper discusses the translation strategies of Jiaxing folk culture in Chi-chen Wang’s English version of Mao Dun’s Spring Silkworms by drawing on the taxonomy of translation strategies regarding“culture-specific items”developed by Javier Franco Aixela.Combined with the frequency statistics of translation strategies,this paper analyzes the specific decision-making process of translators from the micro level and observes their global strategies from the macro perspective on the one hand.The results show that the factors that restrict the translator’s translation decision are hierarchical.The translator is first constrained by the target linguistic and literary values,and adopts the overall strategy of compression and reduction to promote the dissemination and acceptance of Spring Silkworms in the English-speaking world.Secondly,the language and ritual folk customs of silkworm culture in the original folk customs are retained,and the“local color”of Jiaxing folk customs is reproduced from the overall effect.Translation generally tends to use cultural substitution strategy,and translators flexibly use a variety of translation methods to balance acceptability and adequacy of translation.The Wang’s version does not seek to preserve or literal translate each specific item of folk culture,but takes the overall effect of the specific item of folk culture as the starting point for selective translation,so as to realize the effective transmission of the source culture.