Jahr
1922
Text
Mao, Dun. Some thoughts on translating poetry [ID D38991].
Is the translation of foreign poetry 'possible' ?... Some say foreign poetry can be translated ; others say it can't ; some say there are things in foreign poetry which can be translated, and there are things which absolutely cannot, and what can be translated is only a makeshift, better than nothing but no more than that. When poetry has been translated, even if the translator is extremely careful and sticks closely to the source text, it can only be the 're-telling' of a poem, and cannot be seen as being the originalā¦
The translation of foreign poetry can be a means of revitalizing our own poetry. When we glance through the literary history of other countries, we often see that the introduction of a translated text electrifies a country's literary history into new directions ; at least in the poetic arena, this must have an influence of this kind. From this viewpoint the translation of poetry is of great significance for the literary world, and has an even greater significance for a nation developing a new literatureā¦
But it seems that sense-translation should also have its conditions : 1) It should not be an abridged translationā¦ 2) The spirit of the original poem should be thereā¦ 3) It should conform to the style of the original poem. If the original poem is tragic and grand, it cannot ever be translated into light and pretty. Apart from this, rhyme and meter and so on are secondary issues, and may safely be ignored.
The second question concerning poetry translation is whether poetry should be translated into prose, or translated into the verse forms of one's own nationā¦ A fixed metrical form can never entirely follow that of the original poem, and since it is only partial imitation, it would be better to ignore the form and do a prose translationā¦
Is the translation of foreign poetry 'possible' ?... Some say foreign poetry can be translated ; others say it can't ; some say there are things in foreign poetry which can be translated, and there are things which absolutely cannot, and what can be translated is only a makeshift, better than nothing but no more than that. When poetry has been translated, even if the translator is extremely careful and sticks closely to the source text, it can only be the 're-telling' of a poem, and cannot be seen as being the originalā¦
The translation of foreign poetry can be a means of revitalizing our own poetry. When we glance through the literary history of other countries, we often see that the introduction of a translated text electrifies a country's literary history into new directions ; at least in the poetic arena, this must have an influence of this kind. From this viewpoint the translation of poetry is of great significance for the literary world, and has an even greater significance for a nation developing a new literatureā¦
But it seems that sense-translation should also have its conditions : 1) It should not be an abridged translationā¦ 2) The spirit of the original poem should be thereā¦ 3) It should conform to the style of the original poem. If the original poem is tragic and grand, it cannot ever be translated into light and pretty. Apart from this, rhyme and meter and so on are secondary issues, and may safely be ignored.
The second question concerning poetry translation is whether poetry should be translated into prose, or translated into the verse forms of one's own nationā¦ A fixed metrical form can never entirely follow that of the original poem, and since it is only partial imitation, it would be better to ignore the form and do a prose translationā¦
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| Jahr | Bibliografische Daten | Typ / AbkĆ¼rzung | VerknĆ¼pfte Daten |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 |
Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (Benjamins translation library ; vol. 51).Table of contents :PART I1.ā¦
S. S. 203-206
Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (Benjamins translation library ; vol. 51).
Table of contents : PART I 1. The traditional approach: Impressionistic theories 3 2. "Modern" theories of the 1920s and 30s 15 3. Theories from a postcolonial perspective 29 4. End of the century: The impact of "new theories" 43 References for Chapters 1-4 6o PART II A. Responses to Yan Fu 67 1. Yan Fu: "Preface to Tianyanlun (Evolution and ethics)" (1901) Tr. C. Y. Hsu 69 2. Zheng Zhenduo: "How to translate literary texts" (1921) Tr. Leo Chan 72 3. Bian Zhilin: "Literary translation and sensitivity to language" (1983) Tr. Gilbert Fong 74 4. Ye Weilian: "Debunking claims of Xin, Da and Ya" (1994) Tr. Ye Weilian 77 Notes to Articles 1-4 89 B. Spiritual resonance 91 5. Chen Xiying: "On translation" (1929) Tr. Chapman Chen 93 6. Zeng Xubai: "Spirit and fluency in translation" (1929) Tr. Chapman Chen 98 7. Fu Lei: "Preface to the retranslation of Pere Goriot" (1951) Tr. May Wong 102 8. Qian Zhongshu: "The translations of Lin Shu" (1963) Tr. George Kao 104 Notes to Articles 5-8 115 C. Art vs. science 121 9. Zhu Guangqian: "On translation" (1944) Tr. Leo Chan 123 10. Fu Lei: "Fragments of my translation experience" (1957) Tr. Leo Chan 126 11. Huang Xuanfan: "Review of Si Guo's Studies of Translation" (1974) Tr. Matthew Leung 129 12. Huang Xuanfan: "Translation and linguistic knowledge" (1974) Tr. Matthew Leung 134 13. Jin Di: "The debate of art vs. science" (1987) Tr. Priscilla Yip 141 Notes to Articles 9-13 147 D. The language of translation 151 14. Qu Qiubai: "On translation - A letter to Lu Xun" (1931) Tr. Yau Wai Ping 153 15. Lu Xun: "A reply to Qu Qiubai" (1931) Tr. Leo Chan 158 16. Qu Qiubai: "Again on translation - A reply to Lu Xun" (1932) Tr. Yau Wai Ping 162 17. Fu Lei: "Letter to Lin Yiliang on translation" (1951) Tr. Sara Ho 168 18. Yu Guangzhong: "Translation and creative writing" (1969) Tr. Leo Chan 173 Notes to Articles 14-18 175 E. Literal translation vs. sense-translation 179 19. Liang Shiqiu: "On Mr. Lu Xun's 'Stiff translation"' (1929) Tr. Evangeline Almberg 181 20. Lu Xun: "'Stiff translation' and the class nature of literature" (1930) Tr. Leo Chan 184 21. Ye Gongchao, "On translation and language reform" (1931) Tr. Rachel Lung 188 22. Mao Dun: "Literal translation, smooth translation, and distorted translation" (1934) Tr. Leo Chan 192 23. Ai Siqi: "On translation" (1937) Tr. John Lai 195 Notes to Articles 19-23 198 F. The untranslatability of poetry 201 24. Mao Dun: "Some thoughts on translating poetry" (1922) Tr. Brian Holton 203 25. Cheng Fangwu: "On translating poetry" (1923) Tr. May Wong 208 26. Bian Zhilin: "Translation and its positive/negative impact on modern Chinese poetry" (1987) Tr. Kellj Chan 211 27. Gu Zhengkun: "On multiple complementary norms and the translation of poetry" (1990) Tr. Julie Chiu 214 Notes to Articles 24-27 220 G. Translation theory for China 223 28. Dong Qiusi: "On building our translation theories" (1951) Tr. Tan Zaixi 225 29. Luo Xinzhang: "Chinese translation theory, a system of its own" (1984) Tr. Tan Zaixi 230 30. Liu Miqing: "The basic paradigm of Chinese translation theory" (1990) Tr. Han Yang 236 31. Sun Zhili: "Some thoughts on building our nation's translation theory" (1998) Tr. Han Yang 240 32. Lin Zhang: "On theories in translation studies" (1998) Tr. Leo Chan 244 Notes to Articles 28-32 246 H. Creativity and translation 249 33. Zheng Zhenduo: "Virgins and matchmakers" (1921) Tr. Rachel Lung 251 34. Guo Moruo: "Letter to Zheng Zhenduo" (1921) Tr. Rachel Lung 252 35. Mao Dun: "The 'matchmaker' and the 'virgin"' (1934) Tr. Laurence Wong 254 36. Fang Ping: "Miscellaneous thoughts on translation" (1995) Tr. Orlando Ho 257 37. Xu Yuanchong: "Verbal translation and literary translation" (1995) Tr. Orlando Ho 261 38. Xu Jun and Yuan Xiaoyi: "For the sake of our common cause" (1995) Tr. Orlando Ho 264 Notes to Articles 33-38 268 Index 271 |
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