摘要
戏剧翻译是文学翻译的一个重要分支，但国内外翻译界对其翻译理论与实
践的重视远不如文学翻译的其他分支如诗歌、小说等。有关戏剧翻译的批评一
般是从审美的角度，围绕着戏剧语言的某些特征在译文中的再现而展开，如余
光中曾就戏剧语言的口语化提出“读者顺眼，观众入耳，演员上口”的翻译指
导原则，英若诚也将口语化和简洁性作为戏剧翻译中必须首先考虑的原则。由
于缺乏足够的理论支持，这些批评往往带有一定的片面性和主观性。
语境是语言学中的一个重要概念，它对话语的生成和理解起着至关重要的
作用。翻译过程中的理解和表达都是在具体的语境中进行的，忽略了具体语境，
就会导致对原文的误解，从而导致误译。语境对翻译的这种重要性已被国内外
翻译界一致认同：卡特福德在《翻译的语言学理论》中首次将韩礼德的语境观
点引入翻译理论，强调了解语境对翻译工作的重要作用；彼特·纽马克在其专
著《翻译导论》中断言：“语境在所有翻译中都是最重要的因素，其重要性大
于任何法规、任何理论、任何基本词义”；耿龙明在“思维、语境和翻译”（外
国语，1992，（3）：17-23）一文中论述了思维，语境和翻译三者间的密切关系；
何自然在《语用学与英语学习》的第8章中指出译者必须通过对原文语境细致
而准确的分析在译文中复现原文的语境效果。
由于语境内涵的丰富性和特征的多样性，语言学家对其定义、构成要素、
功能持有不同的观点。如何界定语境的定义、构成要素和功能，从而使之最大
限度地服务于翻译实践和翻译批评，这是本文的难点所在。笔者综合各家所长，
现尝试作如下界定。语境是指言语交际所处的环境，即对话语的生成和理解产
生直接或间接影响的那些要素，它主要包括语言语境、情景语境和文化语境。
语境有两大基本功能：制约功能和解释功能。制约功能针对言者、作者而言，
是指语境对于言者与作者选择恰当的言语表达形式的制约和限制能力；解释功
能针对听者、读者而言，是指语境对于言语活动中的某些语言现象的解释和说
明能力。
《茶馆》是老舍先生艺术成就最高的巨著之一。剧本通过一个茶馆和下茶
馆的一些小人物的命运变迁折射了从清末到解放前半个世纪的中国社会变迁。
剧作家在有限的舞台空间和时间里创造了一个完整的、具体的、历史的语言环
境，其中每一个人物的语言都符合当时的社会历史大环境和个人历史小环境。
对待这样一部作品，译者必须生动地再现一个有说服力的语言环境，才能把观
众或读者带入原作的思想和艺术境界。本文尝试从语境理论的角度出发，用彼
特·纽马克的翻译批评模式，结合戏剧翻译的独特性，探讨《茶馆》两种英译
本的两位译者如何依靠语言语境明确所指，确定多义现象和复现修辞手段；如
何借助情景语境使人物的语气符合人物的社会身份、个性和处境；如何充分考
虑文化语境再现原文的社会政治、物质和风俗文化的语境效果。文章试图用较
为科学的方法来估价译作的“信”度和“等值”量的大小，从而在一定程度上
克服翻译批评时所产生的主观随意性因素的影响。
Drama translation is an important branch of literary translation. However, it seems that the bulk of genre-focused translation study involves the specific problem of translation poetry and fiction while drama is one of the most neglected areas. Much of the translation criticism concerning dramatic texts is usually an attempt to expound the reproduction of certain features of dramatic language in the target text from the angle of aesthetics. For example, Yu Guangzhong, based on the representation of colloquialism in the target text, advocates such translation principle of drama as "agreeable to the eye of the reader, pleasing to the ear of the audience, and easy to be read aloud fluently by the actor". Similarly, Ying Roucheng gives the highest priority to colloquialism and conciseness in translating texts of drama. Such translation criticism without the guidance of sufficient translation theories inevitably tends to be either one-sided or subjective.
Context, as an important concept in linguistics, exerts great influence on the production and interpretation of utterances. In the entire process of translation, both the correct comprehension of the source text and the appropriate expression in the target language depend on the specific context, negligence of which may lead to misunderstanding and mistranslating. The significance of context in translation has already been universally agreed upon in the field of translation studies at home and abroad. In A Linguistic Theory of Translation, J.C.Catford, introducing Halliday's view on context into translation theory for the first tune, emphasizes the importance of context to translation. In Approaches to Translation, Peter Newmark firmly asserts that "context is the overriding factor in all translation, and has primacy over any rule, theory or primary meaning". In the article entitled "Thought, Context and Translation" (Foreign Language, 1992, (3): 17-23), Geng Longming explores the
close relationship among thought, context and translation. In Pragmatics and English Learning, He Ziran holds that the translator should manage to reproduce the original contextual effects in the target language context after detailed and correct analysis of the original context.
Because of context's richness in connotation and diversity in features, many linguists hold different viewpoints on the definition, elements and functions of context. How to make the best of different theories of context so as to make this theory serve to a great degree as a guideline in translation practice and translation criticism makes up the key problem in the present thesis. The author, on the basis of the investigations and researches in the study of context, makes an attempt to provide the definition, elements and functions of context as following. Context refers to the environment in which meanings are exchanged, including all the indirect as well as the direct factors which influence the production and interpretation of utterances. It mainly consists of linguistic context, situational context and cultural context. Context performs two basic functions: restrictive function which refers to the restricting or determining effects of the specific context on the speaker's or writer's choice of appropriate ways of expression, and interpretive function which refers to the interpreting or explaining effects of the specific context on the listener's or reader's understanding of certain linguistic phenomenon.
Teahouse is one of Lao She's greatest work, which can be considered the summit of his art. The drama reflects nearly fifty years of historical changes in Chinese society from the late Qing Dynasty to the pre-liberation period through the depiction of the fate of a teahouse and the ordinary folk who frequented the teahouse. The playwright successfully created a complete, specific and historical context within the limited stage space and time. The speech of every character is in agreement with the particular social-historical context as well as his or her
individual context. As for such a dram
引文
1 .Bassnett-Mcquire, S . 1994． Translation Studies . London: Routledge..
2． Brown, G and G. Yule. 1983． Discourse Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
3． Catford, J.C. 1965． A Linguistic Theory of Translation. London:Oxford University Press.
4． Cohen, R. 1988． Theatre. California: Mayfield Publishing Company.
5． Cook, Guy. 1994． Discourse and Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
6． Deng, Yanchang and Liu Runqing. 1989． Language and Culture. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Publishing House.
7． Germain, D.1979． The Concept of Situation in Linguistics. Translated from French by B.J. Wallace. Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.
8． Gregory, M. and Carrol, S. 1978． Language and Situation. London: Routledge Kegan Paul.
9． Halliday, M. A. K.and Hasan. 1985． Functional Grammar. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
10． Jin, D. and E. A. Nida. 1984． On Translation. Shanghai: Foreign Translation Publishing House of China.
11． Kramsh, C. 1944． Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
12． Leech, G. N. and Short, M. H. 1981． Style in Fiction. New York: Longman Group Limited.
13． Lyons, J. 1977． Semantics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
14． Lyons, J.1995． Linguistic Semantics: An introduction. Cambridge: University Press.
15． Lyons, J. 1963． Structural Semantics: an analysis of part of the vocabulary of plato.Oxford: Blackwell Basil
16． Newmark, P. 1982． Approaches to Translation. Great Britain: Pergamon Press Ltd.
17． Newmark, P. 1988． A Textbook of Translation. New York: Prentice Hall International (UK) Ltd.
18. Nida, E. A. 1998. Language, Culture and Translation. Inner Mongolia: Inner Mongolia University Press.
19. Page, N. 1988. Speech in the English Novel. America: Macmillan Press.
20. Short, O. 1980. Exploring the Languages of Poems, Plays and Prose. London and New York: Longman.
21. Verschueren, J. 2000. Understanding Pragmatics. Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
22. Zuber, O. 1980. The Language of Theatre. Great Britain: Pergamon Press.
23．何自然(1997)，《语用学与英语学习》，上海外语教育出版社，上海。
24．西植光正(日)(1992)，《语境研究论文集》，北京语言学院出版社，北京。
25．何兆熊(2000)，《新编语用学概要》，上海外语教育出版社，上海。
26．彭宣维(2000)，《英汉语篇综合对比》，上海外语教育出版社，上海。
27．程雨民(1989)，《英语语体学》，上海外语教育出版社，上海。
28．候维瑞(1988)，《英语语体》，上海外语教育出版社，上海。
29．王佐良、丁往道(1997)，《英语文体学引论》，外语教学与研究出版社，北京。
30．金隄(1998)，《等效翻译探索》，中国对外翻译出版公司，北京。
31．李定坤(1994)，《汉英辞格对比与翻译》，华中师范大学出版社，武汉。
32．陈宏薇(1996)，《新实用汉译英教程》，湖北教育出版社，武汉。
33．胡壮麟、刘润清，李延福(1988)，《语言学教程》，北京大学出版社。
34．洪忠煌、克莹(1993)，《老舍话剧的艺术世界》，学苑出版社，北京。
35．王建华(1996)，《老舍的语言艺术》，北京语言文化大学出版社，北京。
36．陈治安、文旭(1997)，试论语境的特征与功能，《外国语》，第四期。
37．耿龙明(1992)，思维，语境与翻译，《外国语》，第三期。
38．翁显良(1982)，千面千腔，《翻译通讯》，第五期。
39、王玉霓(1999)，从误译看语境在翻译中的作用，《中国翻译》第一期。
40、邓志勇(1999)，语境、修辞与翻译，《中国翻译》，第六期。
41、萧立明(1992)，语言变体与文学翻译，《中国翻译》，第一期。
42、叶苗(2000)，论非语言因素语境在文学翻译中的作用，《中国翻译》，第四期。
43、黄粉保(2000)，论小说人物语言个性的翻译，《中国翻译》，第二期。