译入与译出——谈中国译者从事汉籍英译的意义

Translating into / out of One's Mother Tongue:——On the Feasibfltty of Translating Chinese Classics into English by Native Chinese Translators

以英国汉学家Graham为代表的国内外一些学者认为汉籍英译只能由英语译者“译入”、而不能由汉语学者”译出”。文章分析了这一主张的三条理由,即1)翻译一般只能是译入母语而不是译成外语;2)由于翻译家翻译的不是自己的母语和母文化,在评论上有必要依靠一部分中国人,但翻译不行;3)一些中国译者的翻译造成了难以忍受的”中国英语”。文章从三十年来国际政治与翻译理论、语言学理论的发展出发,对之逐条进行了批评。文章呼吁中国译者应在加强中英语言与文化修养的基础上,理直气壮地从事汉籍的外译工作,为在新世纪弘扬中华文化作出自己的贡献。

This paper is a critical response to the assertion that translation of Chinese classics into English can only be done by translators who are native speakers of English rather than Chinese, as maintained by scholars such as A.C. Graham. It analyses the three main reasons given to support that assertion, namely, 1) translation is generally done into, not out of, one's mother tongue; 2) the translator may enlist help from native Chinese critics in understanding Chinese language and culture, but not in expressing the idea; 3) some translations by non-native translators were rendered in an unbearable kind of 'Chinese English'. The above reasons are critiqued with reference to the development of international politics and the global economy, as well as translation studies. In the end, the paper points out the need for more native Chinese translators to undertake the translation of Chinese classics into English.