关联理论关照下幽默话语的翻译
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摘要
本文以关联理论为理论基础,将中国当代著名小说《围城》及其英译本作为个案研究对象,对幽默话语及其翻译进行探讨。
作为一门阐释交际的语用学理论,关联理论由斯珀伯和威尔逊共同提出,该理论指出语言交际是一个认知——推理的互明过程,认为人类的认知往往力求以最小的心理投入,获取最大的认知效果,人类的话语交际过程就是寻求最佳关联的过程,即听话者在话语理解时付出有效的努力后能获得足够的语境效果。
关联理论翻译观强调翻译明示——推理的交际本质,认为翻译本质上是一个译者在源语认知语境和目的语认知语境之间寻求最佳关联性的过程,即译者期望译文读者在理解译文时能取得充分的语境效果而没有付出不必要的认知努力。同时,认为翻译属于一种跨语际的阐释性运用,即译文是一种目的语文本,此文本在阐释上与源语具有最佳相似性。因此,寻求最佳关联性成为翻译过程中始终遵循的原则,译者的责任便是努力做到使原文作者的意图与译文读者的期盼相吻合。
幽默话语一直是一个热门的多学科研究课题。在本文,作者试图将幽默话语及其翻译的研究置于认知语用学领域。根据关联翻译观,幽默话语的翻译是一种跨语言、跨文化同时涉及原作者——译者——译文读者的双重交际活动,在此交际过程中,译者对原作的交际意图进行推理,再结合原作者与译文读者的认知语境,用具最佳关联的方式将此意图明示于译文读者,再现各种幽默线索以保证译文具有最佳关联性,使译文具有同原文一样的幽默效应。
本文研究个案为中国当代著名小说《围城》及其英译本。小说的作者钱钟书运用各种手法创造出大量的幽默话语以取得讽刺和幽默的艺术效果。作者在关联理论的指导下对《围城》中的幽默话语及其翻译进行探讨,通过将幽默翻译研究和新兴的关联理论相结合,旨在说明关联理论对翻译尤其是对幽默话语的翻译具有很强的解释力,在实践中对其具有指导价值。
理论研究和个案分析表明,译者在进行幽默话语翻译时,应以关联原则为取向,努力使原语作者发出的幽默信息与目的语读者对幽默的期待相吻合,从而达到翻译的效度,体现原文的幽默效应。
This thesis explores the issue of humorous utterance and humorous utterance translation in the light of relevance theory. The data are collected from the famous Chinese novel Fortress Besieged and its English version.
As a pragmatic theory interpreting communication, relevance theory is formally proclaimed by Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson. It proposes that language communication is an ostensive-inferential process, and claims that human communication is characterized by the search for optimal relevance, that is, to achieve adequate contextual effect without pulling gratuitous processing effort.
From the perspective of relevance theory, the translation is an ostensive-inferential communication in nature. It is a process in which the translator seeks the optimal relevance between cognitive environment of source language and target language. That is to say, the translator expects the target reader is presumed to have adequate contextual effects without gratuitous processing effort. Relevance theory also proposes that translation is an interlingual interpretive use, and a translation would be a receptor language text that interpretively resembled the original. Therefore, the optimal relevance is always the principle that should be adhered to in the translation process. The translator should make effort to make the intentions by the source text author identical with the expectations of target text readers.
Humor has been a heated and multi-disciplinary topic. This thesis attempts to study the humorous utterance and its translation in the field of cognitive pragmatics. According to the relevance-based account of translation, the humorous utterance translation, as a communication across language and culture, involves a dual process of communication between the source text and author, the translator and the target text reader, during which the translator infers the communicative intentions of the source text author, then by assessing the cognitive environments of the source text author and target text readers, makes the optimal relevant translation by preserving various kinds of humorous clues so that the translation can achieve the humorous effect as the original.
The specific cases of humorous utterance are collected from the famous Chinese novel Fortress Besieged and its English version. Qian Zhongshu, the author, employs a great many linguistic manipulations to create humorous utterance in order to achieve the effect of satire and irony. In the thesis, the humorous utterance and its translation in Fortress Besieged are discussed from the perspective of relevance theory. By combining humorous utterance translation with the developing study of relevance theory, the thesis intends to prove that relevance theory is powerful in accounting the theory and practice of translation, especially in explaining humorous utterance translation.
Both theoretical discussions and a case study indicate that, in the process of translating humorous utterance, the translator should be consistency with the principle of relevance, and make effort to ensure that the humorous intentions by the source text author and expectations of target text readers will be in line, thereby to ensure the translation validity and the humorous effect.
作为一门阐释交际的语用学理论,关联理论由斯珀伯和威尔逊共同提出,该理论指出语言交际是一个认知——推理的互明过程,认为人类的认知往往力求以最小的心理投入,获取最大的认知效果,人类的话语交际过程就是寻求最佳关联的过程,即听话者在话语理解时付出有效的努力后能获得足够的语境效果。
关联理论翻译观强调翻译明示——推理的交际本质,认为翻译本质上是一个译者在源语认知语境和目的语认知语境之间寻求最佳关联性的过程,即译者期望译文读者在理解译文时能取得充分的语境效果而没有付出不必要的认知努力。同时,认为翻译属于一种跨语际的阐释性运用,即译文是一种目的语文本,此文本在阐释上与源语具有最佳相似性。因此,寻求最佳关联性成为翻译过程中始终遵循的原则,译者的责任便是努力做到使原文作者的意图与译文读者的期盼相吻合。
幽默话语一直是一个热门的多学科研究课题。在本文,作者试图将幽默话语及其翻译的研究置于认知语用学领域。根据关联翻译观,幽默话语的翻译是一种跨语言、跨文化同时涉及原作者——译者——译文读者的双重交际活动,在此交际过程中,译者对原作的交际意图进行推理,再结合原作者与译文读者的认知语境,用具最佳关联的方式将此意图明示于译文读者,再现各种幽默线索以保证译文具有最佳关联性,使译文具有同原文一样的幽默效应。
本文研究个案为中国当代著名小说《围城》及其英译本。小说的作者钱钟书运用各种手法创造出大量的幽默话语以取得讽刺和幽默的艺术效果。作者在关联理论的指导下对《围城》中的幽默话语及其翻译进行探讨,通过将幽默翻译研究和新兴的关联理论相结合,旨在说明关联理论对翻译尤其是对幽默话语的翻译具有很强的解释力,在实践中对其具有指导价值。
理论研究和个案分析表明,译者在进行幽默话语翻译时,应以关联原则为取向,努力使原语作者发出的幽默信息与目的语读者对幽默的期待相吻合,从而达到翻译的效度,体现原文的幽默效应。
This thesis explores the issue of humorous utterance and humorous utterance translation in the light of relevance theory. The data are collected from the famous Chinese novel Fortress Besieged and its English version.
As a pragmatic theory interpreting communication, relevance theory is formally proclaimed by Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson. It proposes that language communication is an ostensive-inferential process, and claims that human communication is characterized by the search for optimal relevance, that is, to achieve adequate contextual effect without pulling gratuitous processing effort.
From the perspective of relevance theory, the translation is an ostensive-inferential communication in nature. It is a process in which the translator seeks the optimal relevance between cognitive environment of source language and target language. That is to say, the translator expects the target reader is presumed to have adequate contextual effects without gratuitous processing effort. Relevance theory also proposes that translation is an interlingual interpretive use, and a translation would be a receptor language text that interpretively resembled the original. Therefore, the optimal relevance is always the principle that should be adhered to in the translation process. The translator should make effort to make the intentions by the source text author identical with the expectations of target text readers.
Humor has been a heated and multi-disciplinary topic. This thesis attempts to study the humorous utterance and its translation in the field of cognitive pragmatics. According to the relevance-based account of translation, the humorous utterance translation, as a communication across language and culture, involves a dual process of communication between the source text and author, the translator and the target text reader, during which the translator infers the communicative intentions of the source text author, then by assessing the cognitive environments of the source text author and target text readers, makes the optimal relevant translation by preserving various kinds of humorous clues so that the translation can achieve the humorous effect as the original.
The specific cases of humorous utterance are collected from the famous Chinese novel Fortress Besieged and its English version. Qian Zhongshu, the author, employs a great many linguistic manipulations to create humorous utterance in order to achieve the effect of satire and irony. In the thesis, the humorous utterance and its translation in Fortress Besieged are discussed from the perspective of relevance theory. By combining humorous utterance translation with the developing study of relevance theory, the thesis intends to prove that relevance theory is powerful in accounting the theory and practice of translation, especially in explaining humorous utterance translation.
Both theoretical discussions and a case study indicate that, in the process of translating humorous utterance, the translator should be consistency with the principle of relevance, and make effort to ensure that the humorous intentions by the source text author and expectations of target text readers will be in line, thereby to ensure the translation validity and the humorous effect.
引文
Attardo,Salvatore.1994.Linguistic Theory of Humor.New York:Mouton de Gruyter.
Attardo,Salvatore.2001.Humorous Texts:A Semantic and Pragmatic Analysis.New York:Mouton de Gruyter.
Attardo,Salvatore.2002."Translation and Humor:An Approach Based on the General Theory of Verbal Humor." In The Translator.Vol.8.
Bassnett,Susan & Lefevere,Andre.2001.Constructing Cultrures:Essays on Literary Translaion.Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Bergson,Hnery.1899.Laughter.London:Johns Hopkins University Press.
Chapman,Antony & Foot,Hugh(Ed.).1976.Humor and Laughter:Theory Research and Applications.New York:Wiley.
Hsia,C.T.1961.A History of Modern Chinese Fiction.New Haven:Yale University Press.
Sperber,Dan & Wilson,Deirdre.2001.Relevance:Communication and cognition.Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Goldstein,J.H.& McGhee,P.E.1983.Humor:Its Origin and Development.San Francisco:W.H.Freeman and Company.
Gutt,Ernst-August.1991.Translation and Relevance." Cognition and Context.Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Higashimori,Isao.& Wilson,Deirdre.1996."Questions on Relevance."UCL Working Papers in Linguistics.Vol.8.
Kelly,Jeanne & Mao,Nathan K.2003.Fortress Besieged.Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Hickey,Leo ed.,1991.The Pragmatics of Translation.Oxford:Blackwell.
Levinson,S.1983.Pragmatics.Cambridge:Cambridge.University Press.
McGhee,P.E.1979.Humor and Its Development.San Francisco:W.H.Freeman and Company.
Mey,Jacob L.2001.Pragmatics." An Introduction.Oxford:Blackwell.
Morreall,John.1983.Taking Laughter Seriously.Albany:State University of New York.
Nida,Eugene A.2001.Languge and Culture:Contexts in Translating.Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education press.
Nida,Eugene A.& Taber,Charles R.2001.The Theory and Practice of Translation.Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education press.
Poole,Stuart C.2000.Introduction to Lingusetics.Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Raskin,Victor.1985.Semantic Mechanisms of Humor.Holland:D.Reidel Publishing Company
Steiner,George.2001.After Babel:Aspects of Language and Translation. Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Verschueren,Jef.2000.Understanding Pragmatics.Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
陈胜利,2005,《围城》的翻译策略及其成因,《盐城师范学院学报》第4期,48-52页。
蔡辉,尹星,2005,西方幽默理论研究综述,《外语研究》第1期,5-8页。
方梦之,2005,《译学辞典》。上海:上海外语教育出版社。
何自然,1995,Grice语用学说与关联理论,《外语教学与研究》第4期,23-27页。
何自然,1995,《语用学与英语学习》。上海:上海外语教育出版社。
何自然,冉永平,1998,关联理论-认知语用学基础,《现代外语》第3期,92-107页。
何兆熊,2000,《新编语用学概要》。上海:上海外语教育出版社。
胡范铸,1987,《幽默语言学》。上海:上海社会科学院出版社。
胡曙中,1993,《英汉修辞比较研究》。上海:上海外语教育出版社。
李进,2002,《钱钟书与现代西学》。上海:上海三联书店。
李寅,罗选民,2004,关联与翻译,《外语与外语教学》第1期,40-42页。
林克难,1994,关联翻译理论简介,《中国翻译》第4期,6-9页。
林语堂,2002,《幽默人生》。 西安:陕西师范大学出版社。
刘宓庆,1999,《当代翻译理论》。北京:对外翻译出版公司。
马红军,2003,翻译补偿手段的分类与应用,《外语与外语教学》第10期,37-39页。
毛荣贵,1992,英语幽默语言汉译漫谈,《外国语(上海外国语大学学报)》第1期,48-52页。
毛荣贵,2005,《翻译美学》。上海:上海交通大学出版社。
欧阳利锋,2002,如何翻译幽默,《广东外语外贸大学学报》第3期,49-54页。
欢阳利锋,2003,幽默可译性初探,《外语与翻译》第3期,43-48页。
钱钟书,2000,《围城》。北京:人民文学出版社。
施咸荣,1981,最伟大的中国现代小说-介绍国外对《围城》的评价,《新文学论丛》第1期,235-237页。
孙艺风,1995,《围城》英译本的一些问题,《中国翻译》第1期,31-36页。
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赵彦春,1999,关联理论对翻译的解释力,《现代外语》第3期,273-295页。
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赵艳芳,2001,《认知语言学概论》。上海:上海外语教育出版社。
张泉,1999,《钱钟书和他的<围城>—美国学者论钱钟书》。北京:中国和平出版社。
钟述孔,1997,《英汉翻译手册》。北京:世界知识出版社。
左飙,1999,论文化的可译性,《上海科技翻译》第2期,1-6页。
Attardo,Salvatore.2001.Humorous Texts:A Semantic and Pragmatic Analysis.New York:Mouton de Gruyter.
Attardo,Salvatore.2002."Translation and Humor:An Approach Based on the General Theory of Verbal Humor." In The Translator.Vol.8.
Bassnett,Susan & Lefevere,Andre.2001.Constructing Cultrures:Essays on Literary Translaion.Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Bergson,Hnery.1899.Laughter.London:Johns Hopkins University Press.
Chapman,Antony & Foot,Hugh(Ed.).1976.Humor and Laughter:Theory Research and Applications.New York:Wiley.
Hsia,C.T.1961.A History of Modern Chinese Fiction.New Haven:Yale University Press.
Sperber,Dan & Wilson,Deirdre.2001.Relevance:Communication and cognition.Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Goldstein,J.H.& McGhee,P.E.1983.Humor:Its Origin and Development.San Francisco:W.H.Freeman and Company.
Gutt,Ernst-August.1991.Translation and Relevance." Cognition and Context.Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Higashimori,Isao.& Wilson,Deirdre.1996."Questions on Relevance."UCL Working Papers in Linguistics.Vol.8.
Kelly,Jeanne & Mao,Nathan K.2003.Fortress Besieged.Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Hickey,Leo ed.,1991.The Pragmatics of Translation.Oxford:Blackwell.
Levinson,S.1983.Pragmatics.Cambridge:Cambridge.University Press.
McGhee,P.E.1979.Humor and Its Development.San Francisco:W.H.Freeman and Company.
Mey,Jacob L.2001.Pragmatics." An Introduction.Oxford:Blackwell.
Morreall,John.1983.Taking Laughter Seriously.Albany:State University of New York.
Nida,Eugene A.2001.Languge and Culture:Contexts in Translating.Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education press.
Nida,Eugene A.& Taber,Charles R.2001.The Theory and Practice of Translation.Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education press.
Poole,Stuart C.2000.Introduction to Lingusetics.Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Raskin,Victor.1985.Semantic Mechanisms of Humor.Holland:D.Reidel Publishing Company
Steiner,George.2001.After Babel:Aspects of Language and Translation. Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Verschueren,Jef.2000.Understanding Pragmatics.Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
陈胜利,2005,《围城》的翻译策略及其成因,《盐城师范学院学报》第4期,48-52页。
蔡辉,尹星,2005,西方幽默理论研究综述,《外语研究》第1期,5-8页。
方梦之,2005,《译学辞典》。上海:上海外语教育出版社。
何自然,1995,Grice语用学说与关联理论,《外语教学与研究》第4期,23-27页。
何自然,1995,《语用学与英语学习》。上海:上海外语教育出版社。
何自然,冉永平,1998,关联理论-认知语用学基础,《现代外语》第3期,92-107页。
何兆熊,2000,《新编语用学概要》。上海:上海外语教育出版社。
胡范铸,1987,《幽默语言学》。上海:上海社会科学院出版社。
胡曙中,1993,《英汉修辞比较研究》。上海:上海外语教育出版社。
李进,2002,《钱钟书与现代西学》。上海:上海三联书店。
李寅,罗选民,2004,关联与翻译,《外语与外语教学》第1期,40-42页。
林克难,1994,关联翻译理论简介,《中国翻译》第4期,6-9页。
林语堂,2002,《幽默人生》。 西安:陕西师范大学出版社。
刘宓庆,1999,《当代翻译理论》。北京:对外翻译出版公司。
马红军,2003,翻译补偿手段的分类与应用,《外语与外语教学》第10期,37-39页。
毛荣贵,1992,英语幽默语言汉译漫谈,《外国语(上海外国语大学学报)》第1期,48-52页。
毛荣贵,2005,《翻译美学》。上海:上海交通大学出版社。
欧阳利锋,2002,如何翻译幽默,《广东外语外贸大学学报》第3期,49-54页。
欢阳利锋,2003,幽默可译性初探,《外语与翻译》第3期,43-48页。
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