翻译思维中的客观意象

【Abstract】Links in the process of imagery thinking, i.e. identification, creation and representation of image, correspond to the process of understanding and expression in translating. The Image is an important form of imagery thinking, the translation quality of Image can be improved a good command of interlingual communication and translation skill. The Image can be of two sorts: subjective and objective. The objective Image will be mainly discussed in this paper.

【Key words】Translation thinkingImagery thinkingThe ImageObjective Image

【中图分类号】H315.9【文献标识码】A【文章编号】1006－9682（2012）04－0003－02

For a long time, traditional translation theories, mainly based on linguistics and literary translation, are not very systematic and scientific in a way. In Bassnett－McGuire’s view, “The systematic study of translation is still in swaddling bands.”［1］ Language is the material cloak of thinking.［2］ Language is the tool of thinking and communication, while thinking is the mechanism of the brain and the process to reflect the objective world. They are two different social phenomena: the law of thinking is logic while the rule of language is grammar. The singularity of thinking content and flexibility of language make out various versions and also lead to many difficulties in translation process. No matter consciously or unconsciously, almost every translator has met this kind of problem in his practice, accordingly the discussion on this topic become necessary and urgent.

Translation is an interlingual activity involving complex thinking. It is an interactive process, a process of cognition, communication and expression, a process for the translator to understand the information carried by the words in source text and a kind of mental activity of higher nervous system to transform these into another language as well. It is not passive cognition, but a process with active thinking, understanding, acceptance, and transformation.

Thinking is the most active factor and basic ability in a translator’s ability system. The study of thinking has brought some new inspirations into translation circles recently. The introduction of thinking offers some systematic research methods and scientific supports for translatology. Many types of thinking have been discussed by a few scholars, such as intuitive thinking, thinking in images, logical thinking and inspirational thinking, their constructive discussions and valuable views lay a foundation for the study of translation thinking.

Imagery thinking, a universal thinking type, never digresses from image, is always endowed with emotions and imagination. It is filled with particularity and creativity all along. For Qian Xuesen, imagery thinking is used not only in literature, but also in scientific research. As one of the founders of modern nuclear physics and the imitator of Copenhagen school, Niels Bohr’s taste also ran to poetry. He said to Heisenberg, “when it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts as with creating images.” That is an unexpected thought: when it comes to atoms, language is not describing facts but creating images. But it is so. What lies below the visible world is always imagery, in the literal sense: a play of images.” That is to say, the highest realm of science and poetry can only be represented by images.［3］

Derived from Latin “imago”, before the Renaissance, Image only

referred to an “icon”, “copy” or “mock.” Many definitions were given to it after that and until twenties century, Pound, Ezra defined it as this: an “Image” is that which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time. And he once classified Image as this: the Image can be of two sorts. It can arise within the mind. It is then “subjective.” External causes play upon the mind perhaps; if so, they are drawn into the mind, fused, transmitted, and emerge in an Image unlike themselves. Second, the Image can be “objective.” Emotion seizing upon some external scene or action carries it in fact to the mind; and that vortex purges it of all save the essential or dominant or dramatic qualities, and it emerges like the external original.［4］

Links in the process of imagery thinking, identification, creation and representation of image, correspond to the process of understanding and expression in translating. Reading comprehension is the first step in translation. Wolfgang Iser advances: reading is a communicative process and readers and text are the ends of this process.［5］ During the understanding process of source text, direct identification of image is needed as well as the indirect understanding of concept, on the basis of this, imagination and association should be used, the Image can be recreated within the mind, then it arouses the rational response and same feeling. For instance, Alice Meynell writes this in July：

Almost all the green is grave, not sad and not dull. It has a darkened and a daily colour, in majestic but not obvious harmony with dark grey skies.

What the author presents here is not the simple visual representation but the Image of unity of the object and the subject. He lets the eye travel over the great scenes in order to let fancy free:

几乎各种绿色，品位凝重，既不流于悒郁，也不失之沉闷。它具有一种深沉、日常的色泽，与灰暗的苍穹浑然一体，构成庄重而非一眼可见的和谐。

translated by Gong Guangming［6］

Another example from A Dream of Red Mansion：in early classical Chinese,“道”has a meaning of“说”，the translation of“道”in the third chapter of this novel represents the Image in source text vividly and correctly：

When Pao－yu saw Dai Yu for the first time, he gave her an alias as Pin Pin（颦颦）. Tan Chun asked for the origin of the name, Pao－yu made classical allusions and every word he said hit on the head, then the following dialogue can be heard：

探春笑道：“只恐又是你的杜撰。”宝玉笑道：“除《四书》外，杜撰的太多，偏只我杜撰不成？”

“You’re making that up, I’m afraid,” teased Tan Chun. “Most works, apart from the ‘FOUR BOOKS’, are made up; am I the only one who made things up?” he retorted with a grin.

（translated by Yang Xianyi and Dai Naidi）

Tease means “make fun of somebody in a playful or unkind way.” Pao－yu and Tan Chun have a good relationship with each other and both of them are teenagers, the dialogue between them is translated with colour and life because of “tease”.

贾母笑道：“你不认得他，他是我们这里有名的一个泼皮破落户儿，南省俗谓作‘辣子’，你只叫他‘凤辣子’就是了。”

“You don’t know her,” said Grandmother Jia merrily. “She’s a holy terror this one. What we used to call in ‘Nanking a peppercorn’ .You just call her ‘Peppercorn Feng’. She’ll know who you mean!”

（translated by David Hawkes）

Merry means “happy and cheerful; full of joy and gaiety”. Grandmother Jia likes Wang Xifeng very much. When she saw Wang Xifeng greeting Lin Daiyu, she was very happy, therefore, David Hawekes chooses “merrily” here.

贾母因笑道：“外客未见，就脱了衣服，还不去见你妹妹！”

With a smile at Pao－yu, the Lady Dowager scolded, “Fancy chaning your clothes before greeting our visitor. Hurry up now and pay your respects to your cousin.

（translated by Yang Xianyi and Dai Naidi）

Though Pao-yu wined Grandmother Jia’s deep favour, when he returned home and changed his clothes before greeting the visitor, he was still scolded. So here“笑道”should be rendered not only as “smile”, but added with“scold”.

贾母笑道：“可又是胡说，你又何曾见过他？”

“You’re talking nonsense again” said his grandmother, laughing. “How could you possibly have met her?”

（translated by Yang Xianyi and Dai Naidi）

When Grandmother Jia heard his beloved grandson saying:“I have met this sister before”, she knew he was talking nonsense again and couldn’t refrain from laughter. So“笑道”is translated as “said…laughing”.

The four different translations of“笑道”，based on the correct pre－understanding, vividly represent the objective Image in the original text.

The objective Image is an important form of imagery thinking, the translation quality of Image can be improved a good command of interlingual communication and translation skill. In the process of bilingual conversion, the communication between the subject and object of translation depends on the common laws of thinking, and they must get to a common view on the ideological content. Therefore, thinking activity takes dominant role in the mental mechanism of translating. The whole translation process is restricted by the laws and content of thinking. The translation of any style needs thinking in images. Especially for the translators of literary works, they should represent the environment, characters and plot in the original with the aid of thinking in images. And they should also use concrete imagery materials and artistic forms to reproduce the objective reality described in the original. Sci－tech translation needs thinking in images as well.

参考文献

1 Bassnett－McGuire, Susan. Translation Studies（3rd Edition）. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2004

2 Newmark, Peter. Approaches to Translation［M］.Shanghai：Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press，2006

3 方梦之.译学词典［M］.上海：上海外语教学出版社，2004

4 赵伐.The Nature of Imagist Poetry［M］.重庆：重庆出版社，1997

5 赵.二十世纪外国美学文艺学名著精义［M］.南京：江苏文艺出版社，1987

6 龚光明.翻译思维学［M］.上海：上海社会科学院出版社，2004