中国当代非虚构文学英语译介:问题与对策

English Translation of Chinese Non-fiction Literature:Problems and Solutions

中国走向世界的内在驱动与世界了解中国的外在需求等因素,推动中国当代非虚构文学走向英语世界,其英译出版模式由单一的国外出版社译入发展为国内出版社译出与国外出版社译入齐头并举的局面。然而,译出作品与译入作品在选题倾向和叙事类型上都存在差异,隐含着不同的传播意图。前者重宏大叙事,旨在塑造正面中国形象,后者重个体叙事,偏于揭秘与苦难书写。两组作品在英语世界的接受效果差异巨大,译出作品在英语世界传播不畅,译入作品被广泛阅读评论。整体来看,个体叙事类型的作品比宏大叙事类型的作品更容易被英语读者接受。从叙事类型入手选择文本向英语世界译介,或许是中国当代非虚构文学走进英语世界的可选之路。

As a result of China's drive to engage with the world and the world's growing interest in understanding China,moreand more contemporary Chinese non-fiction literary works have been translated into English and circulated in the Englishspeaking world.Where it used to be foreign publishers alone that selected the source texts and made them available to anEnglish-reading audience through what is known as"incoming translation,"China's domestic publishers have also takenthe matter into their own hand lately through what could be termed"outgoing translation"However,even though they arcboth engaged in publishing Chinese non-fiction for an intemational readership,the foreien and the domestic publishers diffesignilicantly in theur communicative intentions,thematc preferences and even the narative types of their chosen source texts While China's domestic publishers emphasize grand narratives aimed at projecting a positive image of their own countryforeign publishers prefer personal accounts of suferings and hardship.The ways these two sets of translated works have beenreceived in the English-speaking world are also vastly different;works produced through"outgoing translation"are not wellreccived,whilc those through"incoming translation"are widely read and reviewed.Overall,works with naratives of personalexperiences tend to be more readily accepted by English-speaking readers than those with grand narratives.If text types affectithe target readers’reception so significantly,the selection of source texts must also hold a key to improving their reception inthe English-speaking countries.