认知驱动:《牡丹亭》汪译本中的非语言范畴转换

Cognition Driven: Non-Linguistic Category Transformation in Wang Rongpei’s Translation of Peony Pavilion

范畴化是认知翻译学的重要概念,翻译不只是跨文化的符号转换,更是认知驱动下的范畴转换,与人们的具身体验息息相关。本文将认知范式引入《牡丹亭》英译研究,运用范畴化理论考察《牡丹亭》汪译本中的非语言范畴转换,对文旭、余平和司卫国提出的范畴转换模式进行补充,增添“零范畴转换”模式。研究发现,《牡丹亭》汪译本将范畴间的相似性联系起来,通过对等范畴转换、错位范畴转换、空缺范畴转换和零范畴转换四种模式贴近目的语读者认知,提高了译文的流畅性和可读性,但也损失了原文中国文化范畴的部分属性。本文以范畴转换从认知新范式探讨《牡丹亭》译本的转换模式,期望引起中国戏曲外译对认知翻译研究的关注。

Categorization bears a theoretical significance in cognitive translatology. As a new paradigm in translation studies, it views translation more as an embodied dynamic of category transformation driven by cognition than a sheer semiotic conversion between two cultures. By applying the cognitive paradigm to the C-E translation of Peony Pavilion, we explore the patterns of non-linguistic category transformation in Wang Rongpei’s version as an attempt to shed light on its cognitive study. We also put forward a new pattern “zero category transformation” based on Wen Xu, Yu Ping, and Si Weiguo (2019)’s framework. As a result, Wang’s translation takes into account the similarity between the source category and the target one. It is found that four patterns (equivalent category transformation, displaced category transformation, vacant category transformation, and zero category transformation) are employed in the translation to approach the target audience’s cognition, bringing about better fluency, readability as well as a partial loss of cultural property of the Chinese categories. The study introduces a cognitive paradigm into the translation study of Peony Pavilion from a perspective of category transformation, in a bid to draw the academic attention to the cognitive translation study of Chinese opera.