基于文本类型学的公示语汉英交际翻译研究
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摘要
随着奥运会的成功举办,上海世博会的即将开幕,中国与世界的交流越来越频繁。为了方便与外界的交流,大量公共材料被翻译成英文,特别是公示语。双语公示语出现在很多城市,特别是像北京、上海这样的大城市。公示语通常以符号或文字的形式给人以指示、提示、或限制、或强制人们的行为,在日常生活及公共交流中发挥着重要作用。而且,公示语是给来华外国人留下第一印象的中国名片,代表着一个城市乃至国家形象。
然而,现在的公示语翻译存在大量的翻译错误,不仅会给来华外国人造成不便,而且损害了城市,甚至国家形象。因此,研究公示语翻译的原则和方法,避免翻译错误,改善公示语翻译变得必要且迫切。
纽马克的翻译理论对公示语翻译有很大的启发,其主要由两部分组成：文本类型学和两种翻译方法—交际翻译和传意翻译,其核心思想是所有的文本可以根据语言功能分为三类：信息文本、抒情文本、呼唤文本；文本类型决定翻译策略。信息文本和呼唤文本强调的是读者的反应,所以应采用更趋向于读者、以读者为中心的交际翻译策略；表达文本强调的是作者的感情,相应地应使用以作者为中心、更贴近原文效果的传意翻译策略。
根据纽马克的翻译理论,本文作者分析了公示语的文本类型,并探讨了其翻译方法。不论公示语的社会功能是给人以指示、提示、或限制、或强制人们的行为,其最终目的是呼唤人们按照文本的意图去行动、去思考、去感受,也就是按照文本的意图去做出反应,因此,应将其归于呼唤文本,采用交际翻译策略,在此框架下,作者提出了三个具体的公示语汉英翻译方法：借译、仿译、创译。
公示语是国际化大都市、国际旅游目的地的语言文化、人文文化的重要组成部分。鉴于其在公众和旅游者生活中的重要意义及其对国家形象的影响,规范公示语越来越引人注意。作者真诚地希望本文的视角能对消除公示语翻译误差、改善公示语翻译质量起到一定的作用。
本文由六个章节组成,首先探讨了公示语翻译的重要性,回顾了公示语翻译的研究,介了本文的结构。第一章概括介绍了公示语的定义、社会功能及特点。第二章详细介绍了纽马克的翻译理论—文本类型及交际翻译与语义翻译。为了很好地避免翻译错误,有必要了解当前汉英公示语翻译的状况,因此,第三章对汉英公示语翻译中存在的问题进行了分析。在第四章中,作者根据纽马克的文本类型,确定了公示语的文本文本类型—呼唤文本及翻译策略—交际翻译,并在此框架下介绍了几种可行的具体翻译方法。
The 2008 Olympic Games has been held successfully in Beijing, and the 2010 World Expo will be held in Shanghai. China's exchange with the outside world is becoming more and more frequent. In order to facilitate communication with foreigners, publicity materials are usually rendered into English, especially public signs-symbols or words used to provide direction, prompt, restriction and compulsion. Bilingual public signs can be seen in most cities, especially the big ones, such as Beijing and Shanghai. They play an important role in our daily life and public communication. Besides, public signs are the first thing foreigners in China watch and will affect their impressions on China. Therefore, they represent the image of the city, even the country.
However, there are a lot of public sign translation errors in practical translating. This not only brings inconvenience to foreigners but also damages the image of the city, even the country. So it becomes necessary and urgent to improve the translation quality of public signs. In order to avoid the translation errors, the principles and methods of public signs translation should be studied.
In dealing with public sign translation, Newmark's translation theory, which mainly consists of two parts:text typology and two translation approaches-communicative translation and semantic translation, is inspiring. The core idea of Newmark's translation theory is that all texts can be classified into three types according to the functions of language-informative, expressive and vocative; the text type decides the translation strategy. Informative and vocative texts emphasize the effect they produce on the readers, so communicative translation, which is done at the readership's level, should be applied. While, the core of the expressive text is the author's feeling irrespective of any response, therefore such texts should be translated at the author's level. That means translation should be as close as possible to the source text. In other words, semantic translation should be used in translating an expressive text.
Based on Newmark's translation theory, the author analyzes the text type of public signs and explores the relevant translation approach in this thesis. Public signs are used to provide direction, prompting, restriction and compulsion, and the ultimate purpose of them is to call upon readers to act, think or feel, in fact to "react" in the way intended by the text. According to Newmark's translation theory, they should fall into the vocative text and be translated communicatively. Under the frame of communicative translation, the author puts forward three main specific translation methods in dealing with C-E translation of public signs-borrowing, adapting, and re-creative translation.
Public sign is an important component of the language environment, human environment of an international city and an international tourist destination. Taking the significance of public signs in public and tourists' life and the influence on the international image of a country into account, more and more attention should be paid to the translation quality of public signs. The author sincerely hopes the perspective adopted in this thesis will be of some use for eliminating errors and improving the translation quality of public signs.
The thesis consists of six chapters. The introduction deals with the importance of sign translation, the literature review of sign translation study and the structure of this thesis. ChapterⅠis a general introduction about public signs, including the definition, the social functions and the characteristics of public signs. A detailed introduction about Newmark's translation theory-text typology and communicative translation and semantic translation-is given in ChapterⅡ. In order to avoid translation errors, it is necessary to make clear the current situation of Chinese-English sign translation. So the existing problems in sign translation are discussed in ChapterⅢ. In ChapterⅣ, based on Newmark's text typology, the text type of public signs is identified. This classification decides that communicative translation approach is appropriate for the translation of signs. Under the frame of communicative translation approach, several feasible translation methods are introduced. Finally a conclusion is drawn in the last chapter.
然而,现在的公示语翻译存在大量的翻译错误,不仅会给来华外国人造成不便,而且损害了城市,甚至国家形象。因此,研究公示语翻译的原则和方法,避免翻译错误,改善公示语翻译变得必要且迫切。
纽马克的翻译理论对公示语翻译有很大的启发,其主要由两部分组成：文本类型学和两种翻译方法—交际翻译和传意翻译,其核心思想是所有的文本可以根据语言功能分为三类：信息文本、抒情文本、呼唤文本；文本类型决定翻译策略。信息文本和呼唤文本强调的是读者的反应,所以应采用更趋向于读者、以读者为中心的交际翻译策略；表达文本强调的是作者的感情,相应地应使用以作者为中心、更贴近原文效果的传意翻译策略。
根据纽马克的翻译理论,本文作者分析了公示语的文本类型,并探讨了其翻译方法。不论公示语的社会功能是给人以指示、提示、或限制、或强制人们的行为,其最终目的是呼唤人们按照文本的意图去行动、去思考、去感受,也就是按照文本的意图去做出反应,因此,应将其归于呼唤文本,采用交际翻译策略,在此框架下,作者提出了三个具体的公示语汉英翻译方法：借译、仿译、创译。
公示语是国际化大都市、国际旅游目的地的语言文化、人文文化的重要组成部分。鉴于其在公众和旅游者生活中的重要意义及其对国家形象的影响,规范公示语越来越引人注意。作者真诚地希望本文的视角能对消除公示语翻译误差、改善公示语翻译质量起到一定的作用。
本文由六个章节组成,首先探讨了公示语翻译的重要性,回顾了公示语翻译的研究,介了本文的结构。第一章概括介绍了公示语的定义、社会功能及特点。第二章详细介绍了纽马克的翻译理论—文本类型及交际翻译与语义翻译。为了很好地避免翻译错误,有必要了解当前汉英公示语翻译的状况,因此,第三章对汉英公示语翻译中存在的问题进行了分析。在第四章中,作者根据纽马克的文本类型,确定了公示语的文本文本类型—呼唤文本及翻译策略—交际翻译,并在此框架下介绍了几种可行的具体翻译方法。
The 2008 Olympic Games has been held successfully in Beijing, and the 2010 World Expo will be held in Shanghai. China's exchange with the outside world is becoming more and more frequent. In order to facilitate communication with foreigners, publicity materials are usually rendered into English, especially public signs-symbols or words used to provide direction, prompt, restriction and compulsion. Bilingual public signs can be seen in most cities, especially the big ones, such as Beijing and Shanghai. They play an important role in our daily life and public communication. Besides, public signs are the first thing foreigners in China watch and will affect their impressions on China. Therefore, they represent the image of the city, even the country.
However, there are a lot of public sign translation errors in practical translating. This not only brings inconvenience to foreigners but also damages the image of the city, even the country. So it becomes necessary and urgent to improve the translation quality of public signs. In order to avoid the translation errors, the principles and methods of public signs translation should be studied.
In dealing with public sign translation, Newmark's translation theory, which mainly consists of two parts:text typology and two translation approaches-communicative translation and semantic translation, is inspiring. The core idea of Newmark's translation theory is that all texts can be classified into three types according to the functions of language-informative, expressive and vocative; the text type decides the translation strategy. Informative and vocative texts emphasize the effect they produce on the readers, so communicative translation, which is done at the readership's level, should be applied. While, the core of the expressive text is the author's feeling irrespective of any response, therefore such texts should be translated at the author's level. That means translation should be as close as possible to the source text. In other words, semantic translation should be used in translating an expressive text.
Based on Newmark's translation theory, the author analyzes the text type of public signs and explores the relevant translation approach in this thesis. Public signs are used to provide direction, prompting, restriction and compulsion, and the ultimate purpose of them is to call upon readers to act, think or feel, in fact to "react" in the way intended by the text. According to Newmark's translation theory, they should fall into the vocative text and be translated communicatively. Under the frame of communicative translation, the author puts forward three main specific translation methods in dealing with C-E translation of public signs-borrowing, adapting, and re-creative translation.
Public sign is an important component of the language environment, human environment of an international city and an international tourist destination. Taking the significance of public signs in public and tourists' life and the influence on the international image of a country into account, more and more attention should be paid to the translation quality of public signs. The author sincerely hopes the perspective adopted in this thesis will be of some use for eliminating errors and improving the translation quality of public signs.
The thesis consists of six chapters. The introduction deals with the importance of sign translation, the literature review of sign translation study and the structure of this thesis. ChapterⅠis a general introduction about public signs, including the definition, the social functions and the characteristics of public signs. A detailed introduction about Newmark's translation theory-text typology and communicative translation and semantic translation-is given in ChapterⅡ. In order to avoid translation errors, it is necessary to make clear the current situation of Chinese-English sign translation. So the existing problems in sign translation are discussed in ChapterⅢ. In ChapterⅣ, based on Newmark's text typology, the text type of public signs is identified. This classification decides that communicative translation approach is appropriate for the translation of signs. Under the frame of communicative translation approach, several feasible translation methods are introduced. Finally a conclusion is drawn in the last chapter.
引文
Buhler, Karl. (1990). Theory of Language:the representational Function of Language. Amsterdam:Benjamins.
Munday, Jeremy. (2001). Introducing Translation Studies. London& New York: Routledge.
Newmark, Peter. (1981). Approaches to Translation. Oxford:Pergamon Press.
Newmark, Peter. (2006). A Textbook of Translation. Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Nida, Eugene A. (2001). Language and Culture:Contexts in Translating. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Nida, Eugene A. (2004). Toward A Science of Translating. Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Nord, Christiane. (2006). Translating as a Purposeful Activity:Functionalist Approaches Explained. Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Pinkham, Joan. (2000). The Translator's Guide to Chinglish. Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Reiss, Katharina. (2004). Translation Criticism:The Potential& Limitations. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Sign Detective. (2006, March 8).21st Century. p. Ⅲ
Snell-Hornby, Mary. (2001). Translation Studies:An Integrated Approach. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
北竹,单爱民.(2002).谈公示用语的语言特点与汉英翻译.北京第二外国语学院学报,(5),76-79.
卞正东.(2005).论标识语的翻译.上海翻译,(1),27-31.
陈淑莹.(2006).标识语英译的语用失误探析.四川外语学院学报,(1),117-120.
丁衡祁.(2002).对外宣传中的英语质量亟待提高.中国翻译,(4),44-46.
丁衡祁.(2006).努力完善城市公示语逐步确定参照性译文.中国翻译,(6),42-46.
丁往道.(1998).英语写作基础教程.北京：高等教育出版社.
傅志爱,官洁瑜,李艾文,姚碧樱,吴素珊.(2006).再谈城市街道商店和单位名称的翻译.中国翻译,(4),75-79.
郭建忠.(2003).文化与翻译.北京：北京对外翻译出版公司.
贺学耕.(2006).汉英公示语翻译的现状及其交际翻译策略.外语与外语教,(3),57-59.
李德超.(2005).TAPs翻译过程研究二十年：回顾与展望.中国翻译,(1),31-36.
李雪雁.(2009).国内公示语英译研究综述.吉林广播电视大学学报,(1),105-108.
罗选民,黎土旺.(2006).关于公示语翻译的几点思考.中国翻译,(4),66-69.
吕和发.(2005).公示语的功能特点与汉英翻译研究.术语标准化与信息技术,(2),21-35.
吕和发.(2004).公示语的汉英翻译.中国科技翻译,(2),38-64.
倪传斌,刘治.(1998).标记语的英译原则及实例分析.上海科技翻译,(2),18-20.
牛新生.(2007).从感召功能看汉语公示语英译—以宁波城市公示语为例.中国翻译,(2),63-67.
任静生.(2001).公共揭示语汉译英错误剖析.合肥工业大学学报(社会科学版),(2),103-106.
王银全,陈新仁.(2004).城市标识语英译失误及其实例剖析.中国翻译,(2),81-82.
王银全.(2007).汉英公示语翻译及其译学理据.北京第二外国语学院学报,(6),8-17.
韦忠生.(2008).文本类型理论和公式语语用翻译策略.福建师范大学福清分校学报,(1),86-89.
吴伟雄.(2006).跳出标语译标语,现场见效最相宜：中文标语英译的语句特点与现场效果.上海翻译,(2),30-34.
张美芳.(2006).澳门公共牌示语言及其翻译研究.上海翻译,(1),29-33.
张南峰.(2004).中西译学批评.北京：清华大学出版社.
朱志喻.(2004).类型与策略：功能主义的翻译类型学.中国翻译,(3),3-9.
朱志喻.(2006).纽马克的翻译类型学.外国语,(6),51-57.
赵湘.(2006).中英标识语英译的文化差异与语用翻译.外语教学,(2),72-74.
赵小沛.(2003).公示语翻译中的语用失误探析.南京理工大学学报(社会科学版),(5),68-71.
http://language.chinadaily.com.cn/herewego/news_content.shtml?id=11
Munday, Jeremy. (2001). Introducing Translation Studies. London& New York: Routledge.
Newmark, Peter. (1981). Approaches to Translation. Oxford:Pergamon Press.
Newmark, Peter. (2006). A Textbook of Translation. Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Nida, Eugene A. (2001). Language and Culture:Contexts in Translating. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Nida, Eugene A. (2004). Toward A Science of Translating. Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Nord, Christiane. (2006). Translating as a Purposeful Activity:Functionalist Approaches Explained. Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Pinkham, Joan. (2000). The Translator's Guide to Chinglish. Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Reiss, Katharina. (2004). Translation Criticism:The Potential& Limitations. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Sign Detective. (2006, March 8).21st Century. p. Ⅲ
Snell-Hornby, Mary. (2001). Translation Studies:An Integrated Approach. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
北竹,单爱民.(2002).谈公示用语的语言特点与汉英翻译.北京第二外国语学院学报,(5),76-79.
卞正东.(2005).论标识语的翻译.上海翻译,(1),27-31.
陈淑莹.(2006).标识语英译的语用失误探析.四川外语学院学报,(1),117-120.
丁衡祁.(2002).对外宣传中的英语质量亟待提高.中国翻译,(4),44-46.
丁衡祁.(2006).努力完善城市公示语逐步确定参照性译文.中国翻译,(6),42-46.
丁往道.(1998).英语写作基础教程.北京：高等教育出版社.
傅志爱,官洁瑜,李艾文,姚碧樱,吴素珊.(2006).再谈城市街道商店和单位名称的翻译.中国翻译,(4),75-79.
郭建忠.(2003).文化与翻译.北京：北京对外翻译出版公司.
贺学耕.(2006).汉英公示语翻译的现状及其交际翻译策略.外语与外语教,(3),57-59.
李德超.(2005).TAPs翻译过程研究二十年：回顾与展望.中国翻译,(1),31-36.
李雪雁.(2009).国内公示语英译研究综述.吉林广播电视大学学报,(1),105-108.
罗选民,黎土旺.(2006).关于公示语翻译的几点思考.中国翻译,(4),66-69.
吕和发.(2005).公示语的功能特点与汉英翻译研究.术语标准化与信息技术,(2),21-35.
吕和发.(2004).公示语的汉英翻译.中国科技翻译,(2),38-64.
倪传斌,刘治.(1998).标记语的英译原则及实例分析.上海科技翻译,(2),18-20.
牛新生.(2007).从感召功能看汉语公示语英译—以宁波城市公示语为例.中国翻译,(2),63-67.
任静生.(2001).公共揭示语汉译英错误剖析.合肥工业大学学报(社会科学版),(2),103-106.
王银全,陈新仁.(2004).城市标识语英译失误及其实例剖析.中国翻译,(2),81-82.
王银全.(2007).汉英公示语翻译及其译学理据.北京第二外国语学院学报,(6),8-17.
韦忠生.(2008).文本类型理论和公式语语用翻译策略.福建师范大学福清分校学报,(1),86-89.
吴伟雄.(2006).跳出标语译标语,现场见效最相宜：中文标语英译的语句特点与现场效果.上海翻译,(2),30-34.
张美芳.(2006).澳门公共牌示语言及其翻译研究.上海翻译,(1),29-33.
张南峰.(2004).中西译学批评.北京：清华大学出版社.
朱志喻.(2004).类型与策略：功能主义的翻译类型学.中国翻译,(3),3-9.
朱志喻.(2006).纽马克的翻译类型学.外国语,(6),51-57.
赵湘.(2006).中英标识语英译的文化差异与语用翻译.外语教学,(2),72-74.
赵小沛.(2003).公示语翻译中的语用失误探析.南京理工大学学报(社会科学版),(5),68-71.
http://language.chinadaily.com.cn/herewego/news_content.shtml?id=11