Topic 5 Translation Methods
Teaching aim：get to know domestication and foreignization (literal translation and free translation)
Teaching emphasis：how to adopt the two approaches properly at the same time
Teaching method：Analysis and Practice
Teaching references：孙致礼. 新编英汉翻译教程[M]. 上外教出版社；彭长江. 英汉－汉英翻译教程[M]. 湖南师大出版社；宋天锡. 翻译新概念英汉互译实用教程. 国防工业出版社，2002。
Teaching time：2节课
1. Literal Translation and Free Translation
1. Literal translation
Literal translation refers to an adequate representation of the original. When the original coincides or almost tallies with the Chinese language in the sequence of vocabulary, in grammatical structure and rhetorical device, literal translation is employed. Literal translation strives to reproduce both the ideological content and the style of the original works and retains as much as possible the figures of speech.
所谓直译就是指在转达原文意思时，使译文的表达形式和句法结构尽量同原文一致起来，能完全对等的就完全对等，不能完全对等的也要大致对等。其理想目标是做到“神”、“形”兼备。即不但表达原文内容，而且保持原文形式上的特点，如比喻、形象、民族特色等。
Examples of literal translation：
1. I read this letter with both surprise and excitement, surprise because he is still around, excitement because he didn’t ever forget me.
译：我读到他的信时既惊又喜，惊的是他还健在，喜的是他一直没有忘记我。
2. I want a worker, not a clock watcher. Don’t you understand?
译1：我要的是工人，不是看钟表的，你难道不明白吗？（直译）
译2：我要的不是整天看时钟，想着下班的人。（意译）
2. Free Translation
Free translation is also called liberal translation, which does not adhere strictly to the form or word order of the original. When there exist dissimilarities or great differences between English and Chinese in sequence of vocabulary, in grammatical structure and artistic devices, free translation is employed. To put it plainly, free translation is most frequently adopted when it is really impossible for the translator to do literal translation.
所谓意译，即打破原文的语言形式，用译文的习惯表达形式把原文的意蕴再现出来。但形式的转换或再创造必须服从于原文信息的传达。如果偏离了原文的内容与风格而随意发挥，如果捕风捉影地进行编撰或杜撰，那就成了胡译、乱译。
Examples of free translation：
★ 江湖医生 quack; mountebank; medicaster
★ 牛皮大王 braggart
★ 拍马屁 flat/flattery; polish the apple; lick sb’s boots
★ Do you see any green in my eye?
你以为我是幼稚可欺的吗？
★ If your mother had known of it, she’d have died a second time.
译1：如果你母亲知道此事，她一定会死第二次的。
译2：如果你母亲知道此事，她一定会气得从棺材（坟墓）中跳出来。
★ Victory/success has a hundred fathers and defeat/failure is an orphan.
译1：胜利/成功有上百个父亲，失败却是个孤儿。
译2：胜利/成功众人争功，失败无人引咎。
3. Combination of Literal translation and free translation
There is no absolute “literal” or entirely “free” version in the practice of translation. Overemphasizing either of them would result in ridiculous consequences.
直译是主要手段，意译是不可缺少的补偿手段。直译与意译应该互相兼容。
An example:
Feeling good and looking good. Ever notice that some of the most appealing women are not necessarily great beauties? It isn’t their figures or faces that attract but their positive outlook on life and sense of self.
感觉好，人就美。你注意到没有，最具魅力的女性不一定都得是国色天香？她们迷人之处在于其积极的人生观和自我意识，而非身段与容貌。
（直译加意译）
2. foreignizing method & domesticating method
异化与归化是直译与意译的概念延伸
1995年，劳伦斯•韦努蒂(Lawrence Venuti)在《译者的隐形》（The Translator’s Invisibility）一书中提出。
1. Foreignization
异化法是“对这些文化价值观的一种民族偏离主义的压力，接受外语文本的
语言及文化差异，把读者带入外国情景”。
近一百多年来，绝大部分的译者都把归化法视为自己的努力方向，而尽量避免异化法，随着西方译论的引进，改革开放以来，异化法在我国翻译界越来越受到重视，越来越多的译者将其视为主要的翻译方法。
2. Domestication
归化法是“采取民族中心主义的态度，使外语文本符合译入语的文化价值观，把原作者带入译入语文化”。
对于原文的形象语言，有两种情况可以采取归化译法：
1）原文的语言虽然形象、新鲜，但无法照实译出；
2）原文的形象语言已不再新鲜，不必照实译出。
归化的目的是力求译文通顺易懂，能为译语读者所接受。
以异化为主要方法，以归化为辅助手段。
Examples:
1. 《红楼梦》：
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A Dream of Red Mansion (杨宪益、戴乃迭)
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A Story of the Stone (David Hawkes) (John Minford)
2. 宝钗独自行来，顺路进了怡红院……不想步入院中，鸦雀无闻。
译1：…The courtyard was silent as she entered it. Not a bird’s chirp was to be heard. (David Hawkes)
译2：…To her surprise, his courtyard was utterly quiet
(Yang Hsienyi & Gladys Yang)
3. to kill two birds with one stone:
一石二鸟/ 一箭双雕/ 一举两得
4. Unless you’ve an ace up your sleeve, we are dished.
译1：除非你有锦囊妙计，否则我们是输定了。（归化）
译2：除非你袖中藏有王牌，……（异化）
5. It rains cats and dogs.
译1：雨下得像猫和狗。（异化+死译）
译2：大雨倾盆而下。（归化）
【注意】：归化译时，注意恰如其分地运用汉语成语，但有几种成语不宜使用：
1）反映中华民族特殊习俗的，如“拂袖而去”、 “腰缠万贯”等；
2）带有汉字特征的，“八字没一撇”、“目不识丁”等；
3）含有中国地名的，“稳若泰山”、“夜郎自大”等；
4）含有中国人名的，“名落孙山”、“江郎才尽”等。
总之，译文要通顺，就不能完全不归化。归化应为异化的辅助，但归化同样要做到适度，“有理有利有节”。
【主张】：译文要充分传达原作的“原貌”，就应把异化视为翻译的主要方法，但还要注意限度，即 1）译语语言文化的限度；2）译语读者接受能力的限度。不走极端。
3. Foreignization and domestication should be relatively complemented
翻译的根本任务既然是忠实地再现原作的思想风格，而原作的思想和风格都带有浓厚的异国情调，翻译中不采用异化的方法，是很难完成这项使命的；与此同时，既然又要求译文像原作一样通顺，译者在语言表达中，又不得不作出必要的归化。
可能时尽量异化，必要时尽管归化。
异化时不妨碍译文的通顺易懂，归化时不改变原作的风味，特别是不导致“文化失真”。
归化主要表现在“纯语言层面”上，在“文化层面”上则应力求最大限度的异化。
3. Practice
1. They pay lip-service to education but don’t work for better schools.
他们口惠而实不至，口口声声支持教育，却又不肯为改善学校条件做一些实际工作。
2. 水手们将糯米饭团和肉类放置于船帮上就餐，不用碗筷。
The oarsmen and drummers on the boats eat meat and glutinous rice balls with their fingers.
4. Assignments
1. Bilingual reading:
1）王冕
2）台州古城
2. Put the following sentences into Chinese, using either literal or free translation
★ Almond eye; moon face; works full of sound color; next best;
★ Keeping up with the Joneses; his swan song; at the eleventh hour; a day girl; Evolution and Ethics and Other Essays( by T.H. Huxley ); An Inquiry Into the Nature and Cause of the Wealth of Nations (by A. Smith)
★ Every life has its roses and thorns.
★ He was a dead shot. However, he met his Waterloo this time.
★ Studies serve for delight, for ornament and for ability. Their chief use for delight is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is discourse; and for ability, is in the judgement and disposition of business.
★ Many retirees are couch potatoes who like popping cold beers and relaxing in front of their $ 2500 wide-screen high definition television set.
Answers：
★杏眼儿；满月的脸儿；有声有色的作品；次好的
★追慕虚荣；他的辞世之作；最后时刻；走读女生; 天演论；源富
★人生总是有苦有乐。
★人生道路上有鲜花也有荆棘。
★他是神枪手，可这次惨败了。
★读书足以怡情，足以博采，足以长才。其怡情也，最见于独处幽居之时；其博采也，最见于高谈阔论之中；其长才也，最见于处世判事之际。
（王佐良译）
★许多退休者喜欢窝在沙发里长时间地看电视，一边手拿冰镇啤酒，一边轻松地观赏价值2500美元的大屏幕、高清晰度电视里的节目。
(译文基本属于直译，而把coach potatoes译为“窝在沙发里长时间地看电视”则为传神的意译)
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