【标题】简评祝庆英与吴钧燮《简?爱》中译本的不同翻译风格 【作者】邱 莹 莹 【关键词】
【指导老师】何 远 秀 【专业】英语
【正文】
Ⅰ. Introduction
Jane Eyre is the masterpiece of the famous English female writer Charlotte Bronte. Since its publication, Jane Eyre has been considered one of the most popular English novels. With profound thought and elegant language, it is well received by the readers and is a glorious star in the literary world. The most important feature of the novel is that it breaks the paternal line aesthetic standards of the Victorian Time. All this makes it worth rendering again. Thus, this paper chooses Jane Eyre published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press in 2006 as the English version.
Since the lack of materials, the versions chosen by the writer of this dissertation are respectively translated by Zhu Qingying and Wu Junxie. As experienced and skilled translators, both Zhu and Wu have a good command of the source language and the target language. Zhu translated the original into Chinese at the end of 1970s and had it published in 1980 by Shanghai Yi Wen Press. Her version reads clear and smooth and conveys the spirit of the original. She is good at describing the subtle feeling of the characters and her language style is very clear. Once Yanfu said that, “In translation, there are three difficulties, namely, faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance. It is already very difficult to achieve faithfulness. Without expressiveness, mere faithfulness would mean work to no avail”.1 Apparently, faithfulness is the center of the three-character criterion. From Zhu’s version, we may find that her translated version is not only to convey ideas (meaning) of the original faithfully, but also to express the language style of the original faithfully. While, Wu’s version was published in 1990 by the People’s Literature Publishing House, later than Zhu’s version. His version is easy to read and natural. He adopts domesticating method in his translating style, which makes his version read easily. We can see that he pays more attention to semantic equivalency, but sometimes ignores the stylistic equivalency.
Therefore, there appear some different translating styles in their
versions. The aim of this thesis is to compare and evaluate the translating styles of the two Chinese versions of the English novel of Jane Eyre, using
criteria of translation、semantic equivalence﹑stylistic equivalence and different translating methods as the frame of reference, with a view of finding out the better translating style among the two Chinese versions. After comparing these two versions, the writer of this paper prefers Zhu’s version to Wu’s version. Ⅱ. The Criteria of Translation Translation criticism has to be based on certain translation criteria, which allow critics to distinguish between good translations and bad ones and to provide convincing explanations of why some are better than others. This is especially the case when commenting on different versions of a literary text.
However, the criteria of translation have been a heartedly-debated issue from the beginning of translation studies. For centuries, a variety of principles have been presented for the evaluation of translation both in China and in the western world. Xuanzang, the most outstanding Buddhist translator in Tang Dynasty, maintained that a translation should be both faithful and expressive, which could be regarded as the earliest remarks on the translation criteria in China. 2 The first wave of translation criteria in the western world began with the statement of Cicero who proposed not to translate word for word, but to translate sense for sense. 3 Later, Peter Newmark, in his book A Textboook of Translation, stated that “What is translation? Often, though not by any means always, it is rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author intended the text.” 4 Although the terms they resort to in defining vary from one to another, those translation theorists at home and abroad unanimously hold that translators should reproduce the meaning and the style of the source language text as accurately as possible by finding the equivalents in the target language. Therefore, the closest natural equivalence in both meaning and style should be held as one of the criteria for the evaluation of translation style.
With the development of the translation studies, plenty of translators and theorists have realized that translation is a far more complicated activity with various cultural, poetic, political as well as economic factors related to it. Which strategy is more appropriate as far as specific literary work is concerned? Which strategy can make the translated text have a better effect among its target audience? Translation, as a form of translational action, like any other forms of human action, must be oriented by certain purpose. In translation practice, which strategy should be chosen should not be determined by the text itself or the translator himself/herself, but should be mainly decided by the purpose of the translation. Thus, in the two Chinese versions of Jane Eyre, foreignization and domestication could be applied so as to compare the better translation style. A. The Criterion of Semantic Equivalence
It is generally agreed that meaning is the most important in translation.
Eugene A. Nida once said, “Translation means translating the meaning”.5 The main task of a translator is to convey to the reader all the possible meanings of a passage. Therefore, correspondence in meaning between source language and target language is the first criterion for assessing a
translation. During the course of translating, the meaning of the original text must be retained in the target language text. Thus both the translations and the original text should be analyzed semantically, and then the comparison should be made in order to see whether the translation is an accurate reproduction of the original text with regard to semantic equivalence.
B. The Criterion of Stylistic Equivalence
It is commonly argued that literary translation should not only convey the meaning of the original text accurately, but also reproduce the style appropriately if the translator wants to attain “equivalent effect”, because every writer has a literary style and his style is reflected in his writing. Alexander F. Tytler put faithfulness to the original style into his three principles of translation: “The style and manner of writing should be of the same character with that of the original”.6 As for Nida, he also emphasizes the significance of style in translation. He said, “Though style is secondary to content, it is nevertheless important.”7 From the above statements. A translator should be sensitive to the stylistic value of the original and try his best to make the style of his translation as close as possible to that of the original. Literary texts cannot be translated as non-literary texts; the translation of a novel cannot like an epic; the style of Charlotte Bronte cannot be translated into that of Jane Austen; the dialogue of a novel cannot be translated as a piece of narration. A good translation is one that successfully reflects as many the artistic features of the original as possible so as to retain the same aesthetic value of the original. Therefore, the principle of stylistic equivalence can serve as one of the yardsticks with which a translated version is evaluated.
C. The Criteria of foreignization and domestication
Since a translation, generally involves various purposes, different strategies have to be taken in order to achieve each of them. The
translational theory can provide guidance for us to decide which strategy is more suitable to employ in a specific translational action. Within the framework of the translational theory, the commissioner or the initiator should inform the translator much detailed information concerning the action such as the intended functions and the addressees of the target text at the beginning. If a translation is intended to widen the target
addressees、visions, and to introduce the source culture into the target culture, the translator may choose foreignization. On the contrary, if one intends to provide a smoother translation without many difficulties for
common readers, domesticating method should be taken.Taking all these factors into careful consideration, the translator can give preference to foreignization or to domestication. Thus, both foreignization and domestication can be used in literary translation. 3. Different Translating Styles
It is commonly argued that literary translation should not only convey the meaning of the original text accurately, but also reproduce the style appropriately if the translator wants to attain “equivalent effect”, because every writer has a literary style and his style is reflected in his writing. Therefore, a translation should reflect the style of the original. Reproduction of the original style has also been the major concern of both Chinese and western translation scholars. In this part, we will just evaluate the two Chinese versions of Jane Eyre by semantic equivalence and stylistic equivalence. A. Semantic Equivalence
Meaning is of the utmost importance in translation and can never be overlooked in any phase of translation. From the perspective of translation criticism, equivalence in meaning is the principal yardstick to judge the quality of the translated text. However, the term “meaning” has not yet got an all-accepted definition. Quite a lot of definitions and
classifications have been given to this term by different researchers in the incessant attempt to make its concept clear-cut. To avoid getting too much involved in the theoretical debatable semantics, the writer of this dissertation will follow Liu Miqing’s classification of meaning, namely, conceptive meaning, cultural meaning.
In the following part, a detailed analysis is made to evaluate whether or how the meanings are successfully transferred from English into Chinese in the two Chinese versions of Jane Eyre. 1. The Equivalence of Conceptive Meaning
Conceptive meaning is the main part of language information, the kernel of communication and the essential ingredient of language. The two translators of Jane Eyre have a good comprehension of the conceptive meaning of the original text and generally represent them accurately in their
translations. However, the two versions are not always equal in the aspect of the original conceptive meaning.
(1). …and I discovered amongst them not a few examples of natural politeness, and innate self-respect, as well as of excellent capacity…(p565)
… 我发现一些例子, 说明她们中间有不少人不但能力很强, 而且天生讲礼貌、有自尊心, …(Zhu’s version, p480)
… 而且我还在她们中间发现不少生性讲礼貌、有自尊, 以及能力出众的例子, …（Wu’s version, p494）
The above two examples are about the translation of the phrase “as well as”. The key to understand these two sentences is also the phrase “ as
well as”. In English, the phrase “as well as” puts emphasis on the words which come before it. For example, the sentence “This child is lively as well as healthy.” puts emphasis on the word “lively”. Therefore, when it is translated into Chinese, it can be translated as “这孩子既健康又活泼”. Accordingly, in the two quoted sentences, the emphasis should also be put on the words before the phrase “as well as”. However, after we read Wu’s translation, we can find Wu does not get a clear idea of this phrase, so he does not give a correct rendering of the sentence. As far as the phrase “as well as” is concerned, Zhu’s translation of the two sentences are more accurate in meaning than Wu’s. 2. The Equivalence of Cultural Meaning
Cultural Meaning refers to the national culture reflected in the language. A language is always a part of a culture and reflects in certain aspects the culture of a society. It underlies the variety of language usage and language habits. Without these kinds of cultural information, the reader in the target language may not understand the words. Therefore, cultural meaning is necessary to be conveyed in translated version.
(2). “But his brain? That is probably rather soft? He means well: but you shrug your shoulders to hear him talk?”(p683) “可是他的脑子呢？也许比较笨吧？他有一片好意，但是听他说话，你会蔑视地耸耸肩膀吧？”(Zhu’s version, p580)
“可是他的脑子呢？也许有点差劲吧？他用意很好，可听他讲起话来你只好耸耸肩吧？”（Wu’s version, p597） After being away for years, Jane came bake to Thornfield. She told Rochester her experiences happening during her being away. In her talk, she mentioned St.John, her cousin. This aroused Rochester’s attention and he thought there was love between them. So he asked this question. In English, “shrug one’s shoulders” indicates one’s contempt for something. But this cultural information is not shared by all readers and the readers may not understand its real meaning. Therefore, Zhu adds the interpretation modifier “蔑视地” before “耸耸肩膀”. This addition plays the part of the footnote and helps to convey the meaning of the original. While,Wu’s not.
B. Stylistic Equivalence
The study of style is as important as that of meaning in literary translation, because a literary work intends not only to convey the information, but also to produce the aesthetic appeal through stylistic features of the language. A stylistically equivalent translation should be one that has the same stylistic value. On the part of translation evaluation, stylistic equivalence can serve as one of the yardstick to assess the quality of the translation. In this section, the two Chinese versions of Jane Eyre are to be examined in the light of stylistic equivalence. 1. Reproduction of the Narrative Language of Jane Eyre
Narrative language is the language the writer uses to tell the story. In
general, the novel of Jane Eyre is flowing, poetic and elegant in the use of language, which make it read easy and smooth. It is of great significance for the translator to reproduce the flowing, poetic and elegant language as the original has.
(3). While disease had thus become an inhabitant of Lowood, and death its frequent visitor; while there was gloom and fear within its walls; while its rooms and passages steamed with hospital smells, the drug and the pastille striving vainly to overcome the effluvia of mortality, that bright May shone unclouded over the bold hills and beautiful woodland out of doors.(p112)
疾病就这样成了劳渥德的居民，死亡呢，是它的常客；它的围墙内满是阴郁和恐惧；房间和过道里蒸腾着医院的气味，药和香锭徒然地挣扎着要盖住死亡的臭气，而在户外，五月的灿烂阳光没被云朵遮盖，照耀着陡峭的山冈和美丽的林地。(Zhu’s version, p96)
当疾病这样变成了罗沃德的居民，死亡成为常来的客人；当它的墙内充满忧郁和恐惧；当它的房间和过道里蒸发出药味，而药物和药锭徒然想征服死亡的瘴气的时候，那晴朗的五月，在户外,清楚的小山和美丽的园林上面，无云的照耀着。(Wu’s version, p96)
The sentence description of Lowood shows a big contrast between the lively flowers, plants and death of the girl who are at the best age of life and should live a lively life, and discloses how dark and cruel the so-called institution is which causes the early death of the young girls. The style is exact, sentimental and melancholy. The readers are shocked at the death of young girls who should live animatedly. By repeating “while…” three times, the author creates horrible atmosphere and big contrast of life and death.
By repeating sentences “当” three times, Wu shows the turning part of the original work and makes the readers realize the contrast between death indoors and powerful lives out of doors. But some of his diction is too simple such as “清楚的小山”, “无云的照耀着”, and some explanatory word like “常来的客人” is not so concise. In this way, his sentences are not concise. While, Zhu changes them into “陡峭的山冈”, “ 被云朵遮盖” which are more vivid, and “常客”is more concise and exact. Generally speaking the diction in Wu’s version is quite simple, with which he only describes the fact without emotion, let alone style.
2. Reproduction of the Language Characteristics of Jane Eyre’s Dialogue Dialogues play an important part in creating typical characters. The translator should make careful studies on the style of different characters in the novel and try to obtain a clear idea of the features of each character in the writer’s mind if he wants to reproduce the original style up to the standard of stylistic equivalence. A successful reproduction of the
dialogue is of great significance to the re-creation of the characters and to the satisfactory reproduction of the original style.
(4). “To the right about—every soul!” cried the master, “away you're
your congratulations! Who wants them?—not I!—They are fifteen years too late! (p449)
“走开--统统走开!” 主人喝道, “去你们的祝贺!谁要它们!我不要!--它们晚了十五年!”(Zhu’s version, p384) “全体向后转!” 主人大声喝道。“去你们的祝贺吧！谁要听它们？--我可不要！--它们来晚了十五年！”(Wu’s version, p393)
Rochester and Jane’s marriage was broken up by the revolution of the fact that Rochester had a wife alive. So they went back to Thornfield. At their entrance, Mrs. Fairfax, Adele, Sophie, and Leah camp up to meet and greet them. Then Rochster said these words. The speaker’s words often express his attitude. This requires the translator to enter into the spirit of a certain character and gain an insight into his activities. Rochester is not a mild-tempered person and at this time he must be angry because of the breakup of the marriage, so his tone should be very strong. But Wu’s version uses the auxiliary words of mood, such as “吧”, which weaken the tone of the sentence. Thus his version loses the original’s style and tone to a great extent. Compared with Wu’s version, Zhu’s version better conveys the tone of the original.
C. Foreignization Versus Domestication
On June 24,1813, Friedrich Schleiermacher said, “…But the translator proper, who wants to truly bring together two completely separated persons, his writers and his reader, and who wants to help the latter understand and enjoy the former as correctly and completely as possible without making it necessary for him to step outside his native tongue, what course is he to follow? In my opinion, he can take one of two approaches. The translator can either leave the writer in peace as much as possible and bring the reader to him，or he can leave the reader in peace as much as possible and bring the writer to him ”. 8These two methods are termed foreignizing method and domesticating method respectively by Lawrence Venuti. In the first case, the translator obliges the reader to leave himself and make an effort to perceive the foreign author; in the second case, he obliges the author to shake off his strangeness in order to become familiar to the reader. Actually, no matter what these two methods are called, the contrast between them is primarily a matter of focus. Translators who favor the foreignizing method lay more emphasis on preserving what they regard as the integrity of the source text, not only on conveying faithfully “what the original says”, but also on reproducing “how it says”. They try to retain as much as possible its sentence patterns or figures of speech so as to reveal the translation style of the foreign texts. Foreignizing translation aims at presenting the target language reader with foreigness instead of strangeness. Translators who favor the domesticating method aim at achieving smoothness and intelligibility in the target language. They bring the source language and culture to the reader in the target language. However, just as Newmark said, there are no absolutes in translation and
everything is conditional.( Newmark,1998:xii) Absolute foreignizing
translation or domesticating translation does not exist. All translations have to make a compromise between the two basic methods of translation. Therefore, translators must have a right view of the two translation methods. They should bear in mind that the two methods are indispensable and supplementary to each other. Either the advocacy of foreignizing translation as the sole method or the advocacy of domesticating method as the sole method is unavoidably one-sided. 1. The Application of Foreignization
In her translation of Jane Eyre, Zhu Qingying says that translation, especially literary translation is a kind of art. 9 As far as ‘accuracy’ and “flexibility “ in translation style are concerned, she thinks accuracy is the prerequisite while flexibility is necessary. As
for “foreignization” and “domestication”, she thinks degree is the key to the use of foreignization and domestication. Anything beyond degree will lead you to the opposite and you are unable to achieve the successful translation style. After a careful study of her version to the original, we may find that most parts of her version are faithful to the original, but some parts not. On the whole, she makes full use of foreignization in her version and closely follows to the original form.
(5). First, I smiled to myself and felt elate; but this fierce pleasure subsided in me as fast as did the accelerated throb of my pulses. A child cannot quarrel with its elders, as I had done——cannot give its furious feelings uncontrolled play, as I had given mine—without experiencing afterwards the pang of remorse and the chill of reaction. A ridge of lighted heath, alive, glancing, devouring, would have been a great emblem of my mind when I accused and menaced Mrs. Reed; the same ridge, back and blasted after the flames are dead, would have represented as mutely my subsequent condition, when half an hour’s silence and reflection had shown me the madness of my conduct, and the dreariness of my hated and hating position.(p51)
起初,我暗自微笑,觉得高兴;可是就象我的加速的脉搏跳动一样,这样猛烈的欢乐急剧得减退了。一个孩子象我那样跟长辈吵了架，象我那样让自己的愤怒毫无控制得发作一通，事后总不免要后悔，总不免会感受反作用带来的沮丧。一块石南丛生的荒地着了火、活跃、闪亮、肆虐，正好作为我咒骂和威胁里德太太时的心情的恰当象征；而这一块荒地，在烈火熄灭以后，变成一片烧毁的焦土，这又正好恰当得象征了我事后的心境。我默默得反省了一个钟头，已经觉得自己的行为是疯狂的，觉得自己那种被人恨而又恨别人的处境是可悲的。（Zhu’s version, p43） 起初,我暗自微笑,扬扬得意，但这种狂喜也像我一度加速的脉搏一样，在我身上很快减退。一个孩子像我方才那样跟长辈吵架，像我方才那样毫无禁忌地大发一顿脾气之后，是决不会不感到悔恨的痛苦和事过境迁的沮丧的。一块着了火的小树丛，气势汹汹，光焰四射，吞没一切，可以作为我方才责难和威胁里德太太时那种心情的恰当比喻；而火灭以后成为乌黑焦土的这块小树丛，也同样可以准确地象征我事后的心境。这时候经过半个小时的默默反省，已经使我感到了自己这种行为的疯狂，
以及我这种既恨人又被人憎恨的处境之可悲。（Wu’s version, p42）
The two versions are quite different. The difference mainly arises from the different ways of wording and transplanting of the sentences of the original. Zhu’s is mainly a foreignizing translation. She has the original sentence patterns transplanted as closely as possible, which makes her sentences easier to read. Meanwhile, the meaning and style are also conveyed in his version. Generally speaking, her version reads smooth and fluent, and both the content and the style of the original are successfully reproduced.
Wu’s translation is a domesticating reproduction of the original. He does not follow the form of the original but rearranges the sentences, which makes his sentences tedious and his version lake the artistic effect that attracts the readers. For instance, he renders the sentence “A ridge of lighted heath, alive, glancing, devouring, would have been a great emblem of my mind when I accused and menaced Mrs. Reed” into “一块着了火的小树丛，气势汹汹，光焰四射，吞没一切，可以作为我方才责难和威胁里德太太时那种心情的恰当比喻”。
(6). Superstition was with me at that moment; but it was not yet her hour for complete victory; my blood was still warm; the mood of the revolted slave was bracing me with its biter vigour; I had to stem a rapid rush of retrospective thought before I quailed to the dismal present.(p15)
我那忽儿很迷信；但是迷信还没到它完全胜利的时刻；我的血液还很激奋；反抗的奴隶的心情还在气势汹汹地激励着我；我得先和激流般的回忆搏斗一下，才会在可怕的现实面前屈服。（Zhu’ version, p11）
那时候我很迷信，不过眼下它还没到完全能占上风的时候；我的火气还很旺，起来造反的奴隶那种怨气冲天的心情还在激励着我，要我向黯淡的现实低头，还得首先能克制住不在去想那如潮的往事才行。（Wu’s version, p11）
Of the two versions, Zhu closely follows the form of the original. For instance, she renders” but it was not yet her hour for complete victory” into “但是迷信还没到它完全胜利的时刻” which is not a natural expression in Chinese. And she uses“先…才会…” to translate “…before…”. All this shows she employs foreignizing method in translation. But on the whole she expresses the writing style of this work.
Wu tries to reproduce a stylistically acceptable translation. But there is unnecessary adaptation in his version, which makes his version go to the extreme of “ over-domestication”. For example, he changes “my blood was still warm” into “我的火气还很旺”, which is not necessary. In this way, his rendition distorts the style of the original.
(7). I dared commit no fault; I strove to fulfill every duty; and I was termed naughty and tiresome, sullen and sneaking, from morning to noon, and from noon to night.(p16)
我不敢做错事，我竭力把该做的事情都做好；而从早上到中午，从中午到晚上，整天都有人骂我淘气、讨厌、阴险、鬼头鬼脑。(Zhu’s version, p12)
而我虽不敢犯一点错，尽力把每一件事做好，却仍旧被说成淘气，讨厌，阴沉，鬼
鬼祟祟，而且从早上到中午，从中午到晚上，无时不在这么说。(Wu’s version, p12) This is Jane’s mental activity after she was beaten without reason and shut in the red room where her uncle died. By her inner activity the writer discloses how Jane was evil treated though she tried her best to please everything. The original language is fluent, rhymed and flowing. Compared with it, Wu’s version is too loose, losing the lyric rhythms of the original. And in his version, he does not change too much of the sentence structure of the original writing as he adopts domestication, such as “却仍旧被说成淘气，讨厌，阴沉，鬼鬼祟祟，而且从早上到中午，从中午到晚上，无时不在这么说”, which can not reflect Jane’s mental suffering naturally. While, the version “而从早上到中午，从中午到晚上，整天都有人骂我淘气、讨厌、阴险、鬼头鬼脑”, with the vivid sound effect, renders the different parts rhythmic and conveys the original’s style. 2. The Application of Domestication
Some translators go to the extreme of “over-domestication” by making a careless translation. They put the emphasis on the easiness of the
translation to such an extent as to seriously neglect faithfulness to the original. They make additions to or omissions of the original meaning at random so as to produce a translation which reads smooth and natural. This kind of translation neglects the content of the original and inevitably results in faulty comprehension of original. Accordingly, such translations unavoidably fall into “random” translation which irresponsible both to the author and to the reader.
From Wu Junxie's Version, we can find that he adopts domesticating method largely and uses foreignizing method as a secondary method. He tries hard to reproduce the forms well as the content and style of sentence structures. But it cannot be denied that there is sometimes a tendency of “over- domestication” in his version. There are some places that are found unnatural and strange. (8). …then they shone in the liquid luster of her eyes, which had suddenly acquired a beauty more singular than that of Miss Temple’s--a beauty neither of fine color nor long eyelash, nor penciled brow, but of meaning , of movement, of radiance. Then her soul on her lips, and language flowed, from what source I can not tell.(p106)
...然后，在她双眼的水汪汪的光泽中发亮。她的双眼突然间呈现出一种比谭波尔小姐的眼睛更奇特的美。这不是那种色泽艳丽、睫毛细长或画过眉毛的美，而是一种内在含义的美，活动的美，光辉的美。接着，她的心灵就象坐在她嘴唇上似的，话语滔滔不绝地流出来；我也说不出它是从哪个源头流出来的。(Zhu’s version, p90)
．．．其次，它闪烁在她两眼水汪汪的光泽中，使它们忽然显出了一种比谭波尔小姐的眼睛更独特的美，--这种美既不在于眼睛的颜色，也不在于长长的睫毛，描过似的眉毛，而在于眼中的含义，眼的闪动和奕奕的光彩。还有，她的心和口仿佛已打成一片，话像流水似的滔滔不绝。我都说不清它究竟来自哪个源头。（Wu’s version, p90）
This quoted part is Jane’s description of Helen. Of the two versions, Zhu is a foreignizing reproduction on the whole while Wu’s is a primarily domesticating translation. Wu’s translation does not closely follows the form of the original. For instance, Wu renders “a beauty neither of fine color nor long eyelash, nor penciled brow, but of meaning , of movement, of radiance” into “ 这种美既不在于眼睛的颜色，也不在于长长的睫毛，描过似的眉毛，而在于眼中的含义，眼的闪动和奕奕的光彩” . Although the meaning is conveyed, the translation seems stiff and awkward, without aesthetic perception. Thus, his version goes to the extreme
of “ over-domestication”. So his version fails to produce the style of the original.
Zhu’s version reads easy and smooth. The use of four characters like “含义的美”, “活动的美”, “光辉的美” makes her version full of artistic effect and gives a vivid impression of Helen. As a result, Zhu’s version has reproduced both the content and the spirit of the original style. From the above examples, we can draw a conclusion that foreignization and domestication are indispensable and supplementary to each other. Either has its own limitations. To evaluate which method is better in translating style, after taking many factors into account, we may find that Zhu’s is more close to the original. Meanwhile, the translator should take a flexible attitude toward these two methods and choose the most proper one for translation. Furthermore, he should try his best to avoid falling into the two extremes of “over-foreignization” and “over-domestication” and create a translation not only faithful in meaning but also in style to the original.
Ⅳ. Conclusion
Literary translation is a painstaking and time-consuming job, in which the translator assumes great responsibility of re-creating the original. Because of the differences between English and Chinese, exact equivalence is of course impossible. However, the closest natural equivalent
translation is the aim that translators must seek. This dissertation, through a detailed and systematic comparison of the two Chinese versions of Jane Eyre, aims to see which one conveys the style of the original better from the translating principle of semantic equivalence and stylistic equivalence. In regard to meaning, by and large, both versions convey most part of the original meaning. In the matter of stylistic equivalence, Wu’s version is easy to read, but sometimes prosaic and wordy, less flowing than the original while Zhu’s version is terse, flowing, poetic and rich in literary grace, thus close to the original. In point of method, Wu’s version mainly takes a domesticating method. But his version does not confine itself to the original contents, even sometimes overpursues domestication.
Comparatively speaking, Zhu’s version mainly takes a foreignizing method; her version is more similar to the original style. Through the comparison of the three aspects, the writer finds that the two versions have different
effects on the reader, but Zhu’s is much better in the point of translating style.
However, the translating style can be evaluated from many aspects. There are still many parts which need to be improved so as to attain the goal of this paper.
因篇幅问题不能全部显示，请点此查看更多更全内容