《红楼梦》边缘女性人物形象英译研究——以小红为例

A Study on English Translation of the Marginal Female Character of Hong Lou Meng:A Case Study of Xiao Hong

通过对《红楼梦》中处于边缘地位的女性人物之一的小红的人物形象及其四个英译本的对比分析,发现霍克思译本在重塑原文人物形象方面较为独特,译文中小红的人物形象相较于原作更为生动,译者赋予小红更为积极、阳光的女性特质,译文有着较为明显的向目标语读者靠拢的倾向。杨宪益夫妇译本中的小红人物形象虽不似霍译个性鲜明,但也较好地再现了原文中小红的人物形象,呈现出向原文人物形象靠拢的倾向。乔利译本和邦斯尔译本虽然都试图忠实再现原文人物形象,但由于译者对于原文内容的理解及人物个性的把握程度不如霍译和杨译,因此在重构小红人物形象方面有些欠缺。

Through a comparative analysis of the character image of Xiao Hong,one of the marginalized female characters in Hong Lou Meng and its four English translations,the article finds that Hawkes’ translation something can’t be “more unique” in its recreation the characterization of the original text.The image of Xiao Hong in the translation is more vivid than that of the original text,and the translator gave Xiao Hong more positive and sunny femininity.Besides,this translation also has a more obvious tendency to be closer to the target language readers.While the character image of Xiao Hong in Yang’s version is not as distinctive as that in Hawkes’ translation,it also better reproduced the image of Xiao Hong from the original text.For the versions of Joly and Bonsall,although both translators have attempted to faithfully reproduce the character of the original text,the translators’ understanding of the original text and their grasp of the character’s personalities is not as good as Hawkes and Yang,so they are somewhat lacking in reconstructing the characterization of Xiao Hong.